Before any medicine is prescribed by your doctor, sold over the counter or used in hospital, it undergoes a series of tests ensuring it is effective and sufficiently safe. The volunteers who take part in clinical trial studies put their own life at the risk of possible adverse drug reactions. They do so to contribute to scientific progress for the benefit of society.

Every year approximately 4,000 clinical trials are authorised in the European Union. However, only half of the clinical study reports are published, and trials with positive outcomes are twice as likely to be published as others. Convinced that such results – both positive and negative – belong to society at large, BEUC works hard to ensure all drug trial studies become publicly available.