Statement regarding release of data prior to study conclusion
MD Anderson News Release June 20, 2014
The following is a statement from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in response to several inquiries about news coverage this week. The news coverage pertains to research data from a clinical trial released by a biotech company before the clinical trial was completed.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center was recently contacted by a reporter and asked to comment about patient research data from a clinical trial released by a biotech company before the clinical trial was completed. MD Anderson was contacted because we are one of several sites where the study is being conducted.
Dr. Aman Buzdar, MD Anderson's Vice President of Clinical Research, explained to the news outlet that the standard practice for clinical trials is that data only be released at predetermined time points defined by the research protocol or at the completion of the entire study when data are fully analyzed.
Dr. Buzdar has no associations or financial interest with this company or any other pharmaceutical company. Nor does he serve as a consultant or scientific advisor for any company.
MD Anderson was not involved in the decision to disclose the study information prior to the completion of the research. Therefore, we felt it was important to state that fact. We also felt it was important to state our belief that releasing incomplete research data is not accepted practice in our field.