Good cause, wrong example

Re “Opening up the findings of drug trials,” Sept. 17

I agree with this article, which rightfully discusses the need for increased transparency of clinical-trial reporting for pharmaceuticals. But it incorrectly uses Avandia to make its case.

Avandia remains the most-studied oral anti-diabetic treatment available to patients. At each juncture, GlaxoSmithKline, the company that discovered Avandia, has worked diligently to make information on the drug available to the public and scientific community for review.

Before and since Avandia’s approval in 1999, the company has published study data in peer-review journals, presented at medical meetings and posted more than 100 clinical studies with Avandia on its industry-leading clinical trial register.

To further support transparency of clinical results in the industry, GlaxoSmithKline has been invited by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the World Health Organization to work toward agreement on standards for a national or international database so these tools become an effective vehicle for clinical-trial data transparency.

Ronald Krall MD

Chief medical officer

GlaxoSmithKline

King of Prussia, Pa.