Results and Outcome Reporting In ClinicalTrials.gov, What Makes it Happen?

BACKGROUND: At the end of the past century there were multiple concerns regarding lack of transparency in the conduct of clinical trials as well as some ethical and scientific issues affecting the trials’ design and reporting. In 2000 ClinicalTrials.gov data repository was developed and deployed to serve public and scientific communities with valid data on clinical trials. Later in order to increase deposited data completeness and transparency of medical research a set of restrains had been imposed making the results deposition compulsory for multiple cases. METHODS: We investigated efficiency of the results deposition and outcome reporting as well as what factors make positive impact on providing information of interest and what makes it more difficult, whether efficiency depends on what kind of institution was a trial sponsor. Data from the ClinicalTrials.gov repository has been classified based on what kind of institution a trial sponsor was. The odds ratio was calculated for results and outcome reporting by different sponsors’ class. RESULTS: As of 01/01/2012 118,602 clinical trials data deposits were made to the depository. They came from 9068 different sources. 35344 (29.8%) of them are assigned as FDA regulated and 25151 (21.2%) as Section 801 controlled substances. Despite multiple regulatory requirements, only about 35% of trials had clinical study results deposited, the maximum 55.56% of trials with the results, was observed for trials completed in 2008. CONCLUSIONS: The most positive impact on depositing results, the imposed restrains made for hospitals and clinics. Health care companies showed much higher efficiency than other investigated classes both in higher fraction of trials with results and in providing at least one outcome for their trials. They also more often than others deposit results when it is not strictly required, particularly, in the case of non-interventional studies.