AstraZeneca is committed to the safe, ethical, and responsible development of medicines. AstraZeneca conducts extensive preclinical and clinical testing to determine the safety and efficacy of our products. Additionally, we are committed to open communication of information on AstraZeneca clinical trials. AstraZeneca continually strives to meet patient needs through innovation and clinical excellence.
Animal testing
Wherever possible in our research, we use non-animal methods, such as cell culture, computer modeling, and high-throughput screening, that eliminate the need to use animals early in drug development or reduce the number needed. However, animal studies still play a vital role in the search for new medicines. They provide essential information not available through other methods about the effects of a potential new therapy on diseases and the living body. Before a new medicine can be tested in humans (clinical development), safety data from preclinical testing are required by regulatory authorities around the world. For more information on our animal research policies and performance, please see the AstraZeneca Global Corporate Responsibility Summary Report at www.astrazeneca.com/article/511606.aspx.
Recent initiatives
In January 2005, AstraZeneca US, as a member of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), participated in the issuance of a joint industry position paper on the disclosure of clinical trial information. This paper recognized the importance of open access to information about ongoing trials worldwide. It also included disclosure principles for pharmaceutical industry associations and their members to follow.
One of these principles calls for making clinical trial data more accessible with the help of the Internet. In February 2005, we introduced the AstraZeneca clinical trials web site (www.astrazenecaclinicaltrials.com). This site contains information from AstraZeneca-sponsored clinical trials—both completed and ongoing—as well as core safety and efficacy registration trials for medicines approved since the formation of our company in 1999. In addition to posting clinical trial information on our web site, we also publish findings on the PhRMA clinical trials web site and register trials on the US government’s National Library of Medicine web site, www.clinicaltrials.gov.
2006 highlights
- Published details of 300 clinical trials for drugs that are either on the market or in product development on the National Library of Medicine site, www.clinicaltrials.gov
- Posted clinical trial results for 260 studies and 19 current AstraZeneca products on our web site
- Posted 226 study reports on 15 products on the PhRMA site (this site posts results for products that have been approved by the FDA)
