11家國際醫(yī)學期刊在一篇聯(lián)合社論中，重申了他們對2005年7月1日之后入選的臨床試驗的要求，必須在公共注冊處登記，能夠通過網(wǎng)絡搜索，而且在第1例患者入選之前無須任何費用就能夠進入。

這些期刊宣布，對在2005年7月之前開始入選的臨床試驗，只要在2005年9月13日之前完成登記，他們將接受回顧性的登記。這項申明擴大了在2004年9月由國際醫(yī)學期刊編輯委員會(ICMJE)社論的要求。

《國際醫(yī)學年報》編輯Harold Sox說：“我們的第一份社論旨在提醒研究人員、臨床試驗發(fā)起人和贊助人。這篇社論再次確認我們的意圖，并告訴研究人員他們必須滿足我們社論中提出的要求。”

ICMJE指出研究人員在登記臨床試驗的時候，不能省略關(guān)鍵信息。特別是他們必須指出治療是有意義的，這樣患者以及其他人就能夠知道試驗中的干預措施。建議臨床試驗發(fā)起人不要“使用無意義短語來描述關(guān)鍵的信息。”ICMJ采納世界衛(wèi)生組織的最小資料表格，該列表所要求的項目在每一項臨床試驗中都是必不可少的。

2005年5月23日ICMJE網(wǎng)站（www.icmje.org）公布了這篇社論。 這些醫(yī)學期刊包括：《新英格蘭醫(yī)學期刊》、《挪威醫(yī)學期刊》、《柳葉刀》、《美國醫(yī)學會期刊》、《丹麥醫(yī)學會期刊》、《克羅地亞醫(yī)學期刊》、《新西蘭醫(yī)學期刊》、《加拿大醫(yī)學會期刊》、《荷蘭醫(yī)學期刊》、《澳大利亞醫(yī)學期刊》、《內(nèi)科學年報》。
 
Medical Journals Repeat Drug Trial Rules
 
In a joint editorial, the editors of eleven international medical journals have repeated their requirement that clinical drug trials that begin enrollment on or after July 1, 2005, be registered in a public registry that is electronically searchable and publicly accessible at no charge before the first patient is enrolled.

The journals have announced they will accept retrospective registration of trials that began enrollment before July 2005 as long as registration is complete by September 13, 2005. This announcement amplifies the requirement stated in an editorial in September 2004 by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

“Our first editorial was a wake-up call for researchers, trial authors, and sponsors,” noted Harold Sox, editor of Annals of Internal Medicine. “This editorial reaffirms our intent and tells researchers what they must do to meet our requirements for editorial review and subsequent publication.”

The ICMJE states that researchers must not omit key information when they register a trial. Specifically, they must name the treatment in a meaningful way so that patients and others know what intervention is under study. Authors are advised not to “use meaningless phrases to describe key information.” The ICMJE has adopted the minimal data set of the World Health Organization (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland), a list of required items that must be included in every trial.

The editorial was released on the ICMJE website (www.icmje.org) on May 23, 2005. Participating journals include The New England Journal of Medicine, Norwegian Medical Journal, The Lancet, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the Danish Medical Association, Croatian Medical Journal, the New Zealand Medical Journal, the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the Dutch Journal of Medicine, the Medical Journal of Australia, and the Annals of Internal Medicine.