Clinical trials registry
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* John C. LeBlanc

Bravo to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)! Registration of clinical trials in a publicly accessible registry as a prerequisite for publication1 is a welcome step beyond the current voluntary registration. This requirement could be strengthened by expanding its application beyond the journals represented on the ICMJE, all of which are either general or internal medicine journals. For example, most clinical trials dealing with child and mental health issues are published in pediatrics and psychiatry journals, which are not represented on the ICMJE, but publication bias is undoubtedly a concern to the editors of these journals as well.

I strongly encourage the ICMJE to enlist the support of major journals in other branches of medicine (such as pediatrics, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, family practice and emergency medicine) and to lobby government agencies responsible for licensing drugs (e.g., the Therapeutic Products Directorate of Health Canada) to require such registration for, at the very least, phase III clinical trials.

## Reference

1.  1. De Angelis C, Drazen JM, Frizelle FA, Haug C, Hoey J, Horton R, et al. Clinical trial registration: a statement from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors [editorial]. CMAJ 2004;171(6):606-7.
    
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