Most research universities in the European Union have failed to comply with the 2014 rule that the results of clinical trials must be made public within 12 months. A survey released in April showed that only 17% of the 940 trials registered by 30 major European research universities were published. The three universities that best adhered to the rule were all from the UK: Oxford University and King’s College London both published 93% of trial results, while University College London published 81%. The Medical University of Vienna, however, shared the findings of just 7% of the 188 trials it conducted. Despite this, Austria overall performed better than France, Italy, Sweden, and Norway. The seven universities included in the survey from these countries did not disclose the results of any studies. “Major universities in continental Europe are clearly not investing the effort required to meet their ethical, scientific, and regulatory obligations,” says report author Till Bruckner, a political scientist who runs TranspariMED, a UK-based group that campaigns to increase transparency in medical research.
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