Beachwood, OH (PRWEB) May 10, 2017
Consistent with its mission to elevate trust, transparency, and integrity in reporting the results of industry-sponsored research, Medical Publishing Insights & Practices (MPIP) today announced the launch of “What Transparency Means to Me,” the latest initiative of MPIP Transparency Matters. A global educational platform and call to action, MPIP Transparency Matters features resources to improve the level of transparency for those involved in reporting the results of industry-sponsored research. “What Transparency Means to Me” will broaden the conversation around transparency in medical publications, promote best practices, and engage interested parties in this important mission. This platform creates a space for those involved in reporting research results to share their perspectives on why transparency is essential to patient care, scientific understanding, and credibility, and how it can best be achieved when disclosing research results. “What Transparency Means to Me” will highlight shared responsibility and personal accountability for improving transparency by featuring quotes from authors, life-science companies, journal editors, and other interested parties, allowing them to add their voice to this important conversation. The site currently highlights quotes submitted by chief medical officers from MPIP sponsor companies, journal editors, medical writers, and biopharmaceutical company employees responsible for ensuring transparent disclosure of industry-sponsored research:
“Responsibly sharing clinical trial data advances the science that is the foundation of medicine while also honoring the participants who gave of themselves to make a difference in the lives of others around the world now and in the future.”
– Joanne Waldstreicher, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Johnson & Johnson
“Transparency in clinical research is a philosophy that requires objectives and outcomes of studies to be clear to all, especially patients. Facilitated access to data and information is a necessary action needed to achieve this goal.”
– Frank W. Rockhold, PhD, Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center
“It’s all about the ‘chain of custody’ of the data. Transparent practices by the study sponsor, researcher, author, and publisher all contribute to the work’s credibility. Credible science advances research and improves patient care—the ultimate goal of medical research and reporting.”
– James R. Cozzarin ELS, MWC™, Editor in Chief, AMWA Journal
What Is MPIP Transparency Matters?
MPIP Transparency Matters is a global educational platform and call to action launched by MPIP in 2016 to raise awareness of the importance of transparency in reporting the results of industry-sponsored research and its impact on credibility. Furthermore, MPIP Transparency Matters is a resource hub where authors, life-science companies, journal editors, and other interested parties can find published MPIP research, tools, and recommendations to help improve the level of transparency when reporting the results of industry-sponsored research.
In addition to “What Transparency Means to Me,” MPIP Transparency Matters includes several other components:
- Transparency Pledge, enables authors, sponsors, and other interested parties to affirm their commitment to transparency in reporting the results of industry-sponsored research; 610+ pledges have been received to date
- Journals Accepting Specialized Data, a resource to help identify journals that publish study results perceived as negative, confirmatory, or of specialized interest
- Links to co-sponsor company disclosure/publication policies, demonstrating commitment to transparency in reporting the results of industry-sponsored research
More resources to improve transparency can be found at http://www.mpip-initiative.org.
Why Does Transparency Matter?
Despite significant progress achieved by industry, journals, and societies in enhancing transparency, persistent gaps exist in both perception and practice. To close these gaps, we need to continue to highlight why transparency matters and its link to credibility. Transparent, balanced, and timely reporting of clinical trial results in peer-reviewed journals fulfills an ethical obligation to trial participants and provides critical context to help physicians and their patients make informed treatment decisions. Furthermore, transparency enables accurate and objective data interpretation and validation and advances scientific understanding. Transparent reporting of clinical trial results is essential to establish credibility of the research outcomes and the study sponsor and to build patient trust.
Conversely, reports of selective, biased, or unbalanced disclosure of research results or inaccurate or incomplete reporting of potential conflicts of interest or authorship disclosures undermines the credibility of the research outcomes and the sponsor.
About MPIP: Medical Publishing Insights & Practices (MPIP) is a collaboration among members of the pharmaceutical industry and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) to elevate trust, transparency, and integrity in reporting the results of industry-sponsored research. Current corporate co-sponsors include Amgen, AstraZeneca, Biogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Merck, Pfizer, and Takeda.
The vision of MPIP is to develop a culture of mutual respect, understanding, and trust between journal editors and pharmaceutical companies that will support more transparent and effective dissemination of results from industry-sponsored trials. To achieve that vision, our goals are to
- Understand issues and challenges in publishing industry-sponsored research
- Identify potential solutions to continue to increase transparency and trust
- Encourage more effective partnership between trial sponsors and medical journals to raise standards in medical publications and expand access to research results
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