Delivering on our data sharing commitments

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The EFPIA view

Delivering on our data sharing commitments

06.12.13

As many of you will know there has been a very lively debate over the last year on clinical trials data sharing and how best to find an answer that will satisfy all stakeholders. We and our colleagues from PhRMA have committed to a responsible transparency, that we believe strikes the best balance between the demands and the responsibility we owe not only patients but also to future research. To this end EFPIA organised a webinar in which several of our companies outlined how they are preparing to deliver on the EFPIA-PhRMA commitments.

This week also saw Pfizer announce an update of its clinical trial data access policy. It will simplify and broaden access to information gathered in Pfizer-sponsored clinical trials, expanding the company’s established methods of clinical trial information sharing.

Others such as NovoNordisk have also already moved in the same direction. The point is that my industry is taking these commitments very seriously as we all understand the need for greater transparency.

The recent ABPI survey of compliance goes in that direction, showing that rates of disclosure are up to 89% compliance. This is obviously still not perfect but we are working hard to ensure it will be. We have had a lot of critics in the last months, but we are used to that. And yes we have, no doubt, been slow to move on certain issues – but we are moving forward and progress is being made. When my industry says it is going to do something: we do deliver.

Richard Bergström was appointed as Director General of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and...