‘Damning finding’: Only 3% of Canadian clinical trials are registered and reported according to best practices

An analysis of Canadian clinical trials looked at a decade’s worth and found that only 3% of 3,700 were prospectively registered, reported their results, and published their findings. It looked at trials run exclusively in Canada between 2009 and 2019, found that 47% were registered in advance; 12% reported their results in a registry, and 48% published their findings. Trials that were run in Canada and one international country did much better—74% were registered in advance, 75% reported results and 65% published their results. “Ultimately, this is detrimental to taxpayers and to patients, but especially patients. Without certain disclosure standards, patients will try certain interventions over and over again, because they were never reported or published. It’s horrible. Canada is just abysmal,” co-author Mohsen Alayche, a medical student who works at the University of Ottawa’s Centre for Journalology, told STAT. Read: Tech finds fit in clinical trials The analysis, which was done by researchers at the University of Ottawa, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Toronto, among others, is still a preprint, but was noticed by STAT news after being posted online. There has been a global push towards having clinical trials be registered and fully reported, through movements such as the AllTrials campaign, which has been signed by several Canadian organisations, including CADTH and the CMA. But Canada is failing to participate in this shift, argues the analysis. “Compared to some other parts of the world, Canada has been slow to publicly embrace the practices of open science,” it reads, resulting in “profound and wasteful” consequences. It recommends that the Canadian government increase oversight of this compliance. Read: Walgreens launches clinical trial business It’s not mandatory in Canada for clinical trial sponsors to register studies, report their results or publish their findings, Matthew Herder, head of the Health Law Institute at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, told STAT. Recently The Canadian Institutes of Health Research made it required for clinical trials that received funding from them. “It’s a pretty damning finding. . . Honestly, I’m shocked at how low it is,” said Herder. “It suggests a clear need for reform.” Read: MDMA trial in Montreal requires 'corrective measures' but can continue: Health Canada

‘Damning finding’: Only 3% of Canadian clinical trials are registered and reported according to best practices

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics