A Little-Known Statute Compels Medical Research Transparency. Compliance Is Pretty Shabby.

On the Media

• Episode: A Little-Known Statute Compels Medical Research Transparency. Compliance Is Pretty Shabby.
• Website: On the Media
• Feed URL: http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia
• Duration: 00:16:17
• Published: 2021-04-21 18:00

Evidence-based medicine requires just that: evidence. Access to the collective pool of knowledge produced by clinical trials is what allows researchers to safely and effectively design future studies. It's what allows doctors to make the most informed decisions for their patients.

Since 2007, researchers have been required by law to publish the findings of any clinical trial with human subjects within a year of the trial's conclusion. Over a decade later, even the country's most well-renown research institutions sport poor reporting records. This week, Bob spoke with Charles Piller, an investigative journalist at Science Magazine who's been documenting this dismal state of affairs since 2015. He recently published an op-ed in the New York Times urging President Biden to make good on his 2016 "promise" to start withholding funds to force compliance.