WHO’s International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)

Posted by Noah Benz on February 26th, 2021

People from more than one country and one medical or research institution can participate in a clinical trial. Different countries have different clinical research requirements, so one clinical trial may be enlisted on more than one registry. That clinical trial shall appear on the database of more than one registry. However, data on various clinical trial registries varies.

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The International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) is a global initiative by WHO, responsible for linking clinical trial registers worldwide for ensuring a single point of access and the apparent identification of clinical trials. This was done with the view that participants, patients, families, and patient groups have easy access to information.

The ICTRP was established with the aim to make information about all clinical trials that involve humans publicly available. It also aims to achieve the following:

• Improving the comprehensiveness, completeness, and accuracy of registered clinical trials data;
• Communicating and raising awareness of the need for registering clinical trials;
• Ensuring the accessibility of registered data;
• Building capacity for clinical trial registration;
• Encouraging the utilization of registered data; and
• Ensuring the sustainability of the ICTRP.

The Secretariat of the ICTRP is housed by the World Health Organization in its headquarters

in Geneva and is responsible for the following:

• Publishes the ICTRP search portal: A database and website that makes it possible for every person in the world to search for free data provided by clinical trial registries around the world. The data is updated weekly and meets WHO’s criteria for content and quality.
• Supports the WHO registry network: A forum created to establish and work together for the purpose of clinical trial registries. It aims to establish best practices for clinical trial registration and the collection of high-quality, accurate data.
• Supports different countries and regions: It aims to establish clinical trial registries or policies on trial registration.