A Statement from Thomas F. Anders, M.D., President of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Washington, D.C., February 6, 2007 – The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), along with other professional organizations, academic institutions, professional journals and the pharmaceutical industry, all are working toward protecting the integrity of clinical research and ensuring that accurate and complete data are disseminated following each clinical study. The commitment made by the pharmaceutical industry to register all clinical trials in public databases, like ClinicalTrials.gov, and to publish accurate results of these trials is necessary.

The commitment to registration is critical to protecting the child and adolescent subjects in these trials, as well as all children who are treated subsequent to the trials. Child and adolescent psychiatrists, like all physicians, need access to all relevant data in order to make optimal treatment decisions for their patients.

The AACAP supports these and other actions designed to enhance the transparency of clinical research.