WHO calls for changes to reporting of clinical trial results

The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for changes to the way in which global pharmaceutical firms publish the results of clinical trials they conduct involving their drugs.

WHO believes companies need to be 100 percent transparent regarding the results of their trials to allow healthcare professionals and consumers alike to make the best decisions in relation to treatments.

The global body believes that researchers in the pharmaceutical industry need to publish both their good and bad results for all to see due to the fact that they have an 'ethical imperative' to be honest about their medicines.

Co-founder of AllTrials Dr Ben Goldacre commented: "We need individual accountability from robust public audit. Only this can show us exactly which researchers, companies, institutions, funders and treatments and the best – and the worst – for withheld data."

Failure to release information regarding potential side effects could lead to an adverse impact on people's health, meaning it is vital companies are as honest as possible about the results of their trials, WHO believes.