The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently launched a worldwide online resource that enables visitors to explore and compare research regulations in different countries. Called ClinRegs, the website’s tagline summarizes its purpose: “Aggregating clinical research regulations from around the globe.”
“By providing up-to-date regulatory information for multiple countries, ClinRegs serves as a resource and potential time-saver for people involved in planning and implementing international clinical research,” according to a prepared statement. “Regulatory requirements can present hurdles to approval and implementation of international research projects. ClinRegs aims to make it easier for investigators to find and understand country-specific requirements on topics such as clinical trial application submission and ethics committee approvals.”
ClinRegs will be updated by NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It offers the ability to click on a worldwide map to get a summary of regulations for the country selected, or to use a checklist to compare regulations for two countries, based on one or more topics. The site is in beta testing now, and the list of countries is limited. It currently includes Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Malawi, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Searchable topics include competent authority oversight, ethics committee oversight, clinical trial lifecycle, sponsorship, informed consent, investigational products, and specimens.