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Debut of ClinicalTrials.gov

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April 20, 2000 [posted]

The debut of ClinicalTrials.gov (http://clinicaltrials.gov) took place on February 29, 2000. This new service provides patients, family members, health care professionals, and members of the public easy access to information on clinical trials for a wide range of diseases and conditions.

ClinicalTrials.gov currently contains over 4,000 clinical studies sponsored primarily by the National Institutes of Health. During the coming year, additional studies from other Federal agencies and the pharmaceutical industry will be included.

ClinicalTrials.gov grew out of 1997 legislation that required the Department of Health and Human Services, through the NIH, to broaden the public's access to information about clinical trials on a wide range of diseases by establishing a registry for both federally and privately funded trials "on drugs for serious or life-threatening diseases and conditions." (Section 113, "Information Program on Clinical Trials for Serious or Life-Threatening Diseases," Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997, Public Law 105-115.)

Check out the User's Guide and Frequently Asked Questions at ClinicalTrials.gov for more searching information. Stay tuned for an upcoming feature article in the Technical Bulletin on ClinicalTrials.gov. See also the press release.