GlaxoSmithKline has announced that it had posted the first set of data on the GSK Clinical Trial Register, a Web site that facilitates access to information derived from GSK-sponsored clinical trials. The Register (http:// ctr.gsk.co.uk) provides summary results of GSK-sponsored trials of GSK marketed medicines. It also notes references to related publications that have appeared in the medical literature.

"The Register supplements our efforts to ease access to clinical-trial data for everyone interested in medical research and patient care," said Dr. Tadataka Yamada, chairman, Research & Development, GSK. "It is important to emphasize, however, that prescribing information approved by regulatory agencies must continue to direct the appropriate use of our medicines," he added.

According to a release, the first clinical-trial summaries to be posted on the Register concern AvandiaÒ (rosiglitazone maleate), a medicine for type 2 diabetes. Additional information about trials of AvandiaÒ and other GSK medicines will be posted as the data are summarized and put into the Register format. The data are presented according to criteria that apply consistently across wide-ranging studies and ensure that the summaries are scientific and non-promotional.