China and India have joined a World Health Organization (WHO)-run international database of clinical trials. Both countries had already recently established their own databases but had to align those registries with a set of standard criteria set forth by a team of experts at the United Nations.

The database was established following an international summit on transparency in Mexico City in November 2004.

“Access to information about ongoing, completed and published clinical trials is essential for informed decision-making. Researchers, research funders, policy-makers, medical practitioners, patients and the general public need such information, to help guide research or to make treatment decisions,” stated the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) web site.

The WHO is currently evaluating at least eight additional registries, including those from South Africa and Hong Kong. According to published reports, Germany and Brazil are also attempting to join the group. The U.S. is already submitting trials from its registry, clinicaltrials.gov.

The WHO clinical trials registry site can be found here. (http://www.who.int/trialsearch)