Washington, D.C., April 7, 2005 – Jordan J. Cohen, M.D., president of the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges), issued the following comments today in support of establishing a single, national, federally sponsored, and adequately funded clinical trials registry:

“It is only through a comprehensive national registry system that the needs of researchers, physicians, other health professionals, and patients can be addressed reliably and consistently. Given the present lack of consensus on the optimal structure and content of clinical trial registries, state-based initiatives to establish such registries will only create a patchwork quilt of confusion for users and result in databases of varying standards, credibility, and reliability.

The national interest in ensuring the integrity and reliability of the conduct and reporting of clinical trials demands a national solution. Consequently, federal legislation should focus on articulating the purposes of the national clinical trials registry and authorizing its creation and funding. Regulation of the registry’s development should be delegated to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, with extensive discussion and input from Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, academic and other private sector experts, patients, biopharmaceutical and other relevant industries, physicians and other health professionals.”

The AAMC Advisory Panel on Research, at its May 11, meeting will conduct a detailed examination of alternative proposals and perspectives on clinical trials registries, and will advise the association on the development of recommendations about how best to construct, fund, and operate a national clinical trials registry.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at www.aamc.org/newsroom.

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