A holiday appeal from all at OSE – support the AllTrials campaign

December 19, 2015

As 2015 continues to rush by, we turn our minds away from our day-to-day activities and consider what small changes we can make in 2016 that will make the world just so slightly better.
One of the most important campaigns that continued to gain pace in 2015 was AllTrials, established by the lovely people at Sense About Science, who aim to ‘equip people to make sense of scientific and medical claims in public discussion’.

The AllTrials campaign has a simple aim – to ensure that every single clinical trial conducted, either currently or in the past, is registered and their methods and results are reported. Doctors’ hands are tied at the moment because of the lack of a full evidence base – only 50% of trials of medications and other therapies in patients have ever been reported, and are strongly weighted to the reporting of data that supports the use of that treatment. Of the other 50%, it is estimated that half not only report negative results (the drug doesn’t work), but side effects go unreported. Thousands of trials fall into this category. The consequences do not bear thinking about.

This month, Oxford Science Editing has signed up to the AllTrials campaign. We’ve supported the campaign privately in the past as individuals. Now I feel that it is important that our company, which was established to uphold the highest ethical code and to promote fairness in science, also stands alongside the 86,000 people and 600 organisations that have already joined the call.

So, this holiday period, take 5 minutes out of your busy schedule, and please join us in signing the AllTrials petition. In 2016, together we can help to unlock ways to new treatments, and help to make the care of patients better everywhere.

It’s what Santa would want.

 

(Image rights to Dr Darragh Crotty, one of our fantastic group of multi-talented editors.)