Mission Statement

Last Friday, when we first came up with the idea for ClinicalTrialsWiki.org, we wrote a Mission Statement describing our principles and goals in setting up this site.

You can read the full text of the Mission Statement here.

A few key quotes. The first has to do with why we got this thing started in the first place:

Few sources currently exist for unbiased, data-driven analysis and commentary on the results of clinical trials; neither the pharmaceutical industry nor international regulatory bodies face the appropriate financial incentives or legal imperatives to develop a comprehensive, public source of clinical trial data and expert opinion. We intend to solve this problem by implementing a searchable wiki containing all public-domain information on clinical trials, and inviting expert thought leaders to contribute timely commentary on published trial data.

And concerning our policy regarding receiving compensation from industry:

It is the policy of Clinical Trials Wiki not to receive monetary or significant non-monetary compensation from the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. This includes, but is not limited to, advertising revenue, gifts, speaking fees, and other forms of sponsorship.

Finally, we came up with four principles we'd like to abide by:

1. Transparency: All information placed on the site will be clearly sourced and public-domain. Edits made to any section of the wiki will be cataloged so users can view the state of the wiki at any point in its recent history. A detailed budget listing each source of revenue for Clinical Trials Wiki will be posted on the blog accompanying the site, and an annual report will be made available for download each year. Biographies of each of the site's staff members, expert panelists, and Board of Advisors will be available on the blog.

2. Non-bias: We believe that advertising from pharmaceutical and medical device companies undermines the mission of Clinical Trials Wiki by creating the perception of undue influence and biased reporting. Therefore it is our policy to not allow advertising from these companies on the site. We will consider limited text-based advertising from health providers (hospitals, group practices, etc.) to provide revenues necessary to sustain our operations. We also may apply for grants from charitable foundations and donations from site viewers to sustain our operations.

3. Accessibility: We will attempt to make our site easy to use with a familiar wiki interface. We will attempt to be as platform-neutral as possible in delivering our web content. We will attempt to include clinical trial data from all over the world. We will not charge subscription or login fees for this service. We will not create a "premium" section of the site with enhanced content for paid subscribers.

4. Comprehensiveness: Our goal is to include description, analysis, and commentary for all clinical trials whose information has ever been made public-domain.

We hope to make this a community-centered process, so please let us know what you think.