[Access to research data: a light at the end of the tunnel?].

Abstract

The recent update of a systematic review conducted by a group of researchers from the Cochrane Collaboration showed modest effectiveness of neuraminidase inhibitors in reducing hospitalizations in patients with influenza, and an even smaller impact of these drugs on overall mortality. However, the relevance of this systematic review mainly relies on the revolutionary methodology with which it was performed, as it included among the evidence considered findings from unpublished clinical study reports submitted by pharmaceutical companies to regulatory agencies. The paper by Jefferson et al. published in the BMJ as well as the campaigns supported by the same journal open a new phase that should bring greater transparency in the relationship between researchers, industry and government to the benefit of citizens.