GlaxoSmithKline voices support for BMJ data transparency pledge

GlaxoSmithKline has responded positively to news that the British Medical Journal (BMJ) is aiming to strengthen its clinical trial data transparency standards.

The influential publication has pledged to only publish scientific papers where there is a commitment to make relevant anonymised patient-level data available on request, a policy that will take effect from January 2013.

It will apply to all studies of drugs and devices, regardless of their industry funding status, and will allow scientists to improve their understanding of new therapy options in a way that will benefit patient care quality.

This tallies with GlaxoSmithKline's own commitment to making its detailed data open to researchers, while the company also posts all of its clinical trial results to its website, whether they are positive or negative.

Patrick Vallance, GlaxoSmithKline's president for pharmaceutical research and development, said: "GlaxoSmithKline's ultimate goal is to see a broad system develop where the clinical research community can access data from trials conducted by different organisations.  We want to work with others to make this happen."

Last month, the company's chief executive officer Sir Andrew Witty said improving transparency in this regard is vital to efforts to develop treatments for conditions such as tuberculosis.