FAQ: Clinical Trial Results

Question: How can I find the results of a clinical trial?

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Answer:

If the results of a clinical trial are published, you may find them at:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
  http://clinicaltrials.gov/
  
  Studies with results available are identified on the List Results page as, "Has results."
  More information is available in the October 21, 2008 NLM® Technical Bulletin article at
  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/so08/so08_clinicaltrials.html
  
  Information about the ClinicalTrials.gov Results Database is available at http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/info/results.
  
  
• NLM MEDLINE/PubMed
  http://pubmed.gov
  
  PubMed® gives you a list of journal article citations and abstracts. Some free full-text articles are available.
  Speak to a local librarian about obtaining full-text articles via interlibrary loan services.
  
  Search for the name of the study, study number or use the subset
  clinicaltrials.gov[si] OR clinical trial[pt] in your strategy.
  
  You can also combine the two in your search: (clinicaltrials.gov[si] OR clinical trial[pt]).
  
  You can also:
  
  
  • Search for clinical trials as a publication type: (disease AND clinical trial [pt])
    
    
  • Search for the name of the study's principal investigator or collaborators:
    (disease AND last name [ir])
    
    

• National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Clinical Trials Results
  http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/ct-types-list

• Contact your local librarian for help.
  http://nnlm.gov/members/

• University of Maryland HS/HSL Clinical Trials Links
  http://www.hshsl.umaryland.edu/resources/sitesbysub/trials.html

Please note:

• Trial results may not be available even after a clinical trial ends.

• Sometimes, trials end before completion, and researchers never publish the results

• In some cases, NIH issues a clinical alert in advance of a completed trial or publication.
  The alert may be the only information published. NIH Clinical Alerts are at
  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/databases/alerts/clinical_alerts.html

• You may need to contact the company that makes the product
  http://www.physpharm.fmd.uwo.ca/www/selectlinks.ihtml?cat_id=8

For more information about clinical trials and results:

• NLM ClinicalTrials.gov FAQs
  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/faqctgov.html
  
  
• The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) makes sure that safe and effective drugs are
  available to improve the health of people in the United States.
  Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)
  http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/CDER/default.htm
  
  

• The Cochrane Library Time to publication for results of clinical trials
  http://www.update-software.com/abstracts/AM000011.htm
  
  
• PhRMA Clinical Study Results
  http://www.clinicalstudyresults.org/

PDF documents require the use of the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader, which can be downloaded from Adobe's Web site at no charge.

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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/ctresults.html

Last reviewed: 06 August 2009
Last updated: 06 August 2009
First published: 30 March 2005
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