Most of us interested in medical search know about clinicaltrials.gov. But here is a search tool on the subject of clinical trials new to me and it is quite useful.

CenterWatch says of its listings:

“About the FDA Approved Listings”

The criteria for CenterWatch’s FDA Approval Listings follow the definitions set forth by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development and the FDA definitions of a new drug approval or a new molecular entity.

Our “Drugs Approved by the FDA” listings include:

New Molecular Entities (NME), defined by the FDA as a medication containing an active substance that has never before been approved for marketing in any form in the United States. The listing also includes some recombinant proteins and biologics that were approved by the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).

The listings do NOT include:

Diagnostic agents, generics, over-the-counter products, medical devices, biologic compounds not approved by CDER and most vaccines. We also exclude new dosages, new indications and new administrations of previously-approved compounds.”

Categories covered include:
* Cardiology/Vascular Diseases
* Dental/Maxillofacial Surgery
* Dermatology/Plastic Surgery
* Endocrinology
* Gastroenterology
* Hematology
* Immunology/Infectious Diseases
* Musculoskeletal
* Nephrology/Urology
* Neurology
* Obstetrics/Gynecology
* Oncology
* Ophthalmology
* Otolaryngology
* Pediatrics/Neonatology
* Pharmacology/Toxicology
* Psychiatry/Psychology
* Pulmonary/Respiratory Diseases
* Rheumatology
* Trauma/Emergency Medicine

Let’s look at what is listed under Neurology:
*  Durezol (difluprednate); For the treatment of inflammation and pain associated with ocular surgery; Sirion Therapeutics; Approved June 2008
* Stavzor (valproic acid delayed release); For the treatment of bipolar manic disorder, seizures and migraine headaches; Banner Pharmacaps; Approved July 2008
* Stavzor (valproic acid delayed release); For the treatment of bipolar manic disorder, seizures and migraine headaches; Banner Pharmacaps; Approved July 2008
* Xenazine (tetrabenazine); For the treatment of chorea due to Huntington’s disease; Prestwick Pharma; Approved August 2008
* Xenazine (tetrabenazine); For the treatment of chorea due to Huntington’s disease; Prestwick Pharma; Approved August 2008

This is a quite useful service, given that it is often difficult for nonprofessionals to determine what new treatments are available in certain medical fields. Consumer health librarians and proactive patients might want to check out CenterWatch.

It also asks, “Are you interested in finding out about ongoing Clinical Trials and newly approved drugs?

Subscribe to be notified by e-mail when new trials are added to our site that match the medical condition(s) and geographic area that you choose. You can choose up to 20 conditions.”

The options for cancer alone are incredibly extensive and detailed.

Here is S alone for oncology:
Sarcoma
Sarcoma (Pediatric)
Serial Evaluation of Ductal Epithelium
Sezary Syndrome
Skin Cancer
Skin Lipomas
Small Cell Lung Cancer
Solid Tumors
Spinal Cord Malignancy
Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Stomach Cancer
Surgery

It also says:

“Drug Notifications
Would you like to be notified about drugs that have been recently approved by the FDA in the medical areas you selected above?”

That is a very useful service for those with a driving interest in certain illnesses.

All is not perfect with CenterWatch. Its coverage of ongoing trials seems spotty. For instance, for multiple sclerosis it lists one study, whereas clinicaltrials.gov lists far more. Clinicaltrials.gov offers an RSS Feed for studies found by your search; CenterWatch does not seem to offer RSS feeds.

Its interface is unspectacular and once you have visited it, you have visited it.

If you are new to the world of clinical trials clicking around in CenterWatch is one way to familiarize yourself with the commercial and ethical landscapes of that field.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 8:00 am and is filed under Reviews, Verticals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Sphere: Related Content