The German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS) is the primary registry for Germany recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is responsible for all clinical trials that
- conducted in Germany and are
- are patient-oriented.
The aim of the registry is to provide the public with a complete and up-to-date overview of clinical trials in Germany. It contains more than 12,000 studies. Currently, about 2000 are added annually.
The DRKS not only serves as a source of information for patients. It also supports professionals in planning clinical trials. For example, it helps to avoid duplicate studies. The DRKS enables,
- to search for information on ongoing and completed clinical trials in Germany or to
- to make your own studies accessible.
You are responsible for registration as the sponsor or as the head of the clinical trial of a study.
In Germany, you are not legally required to register all studies. However, physicians who are responsible for studies are indirectly required to register under their professional regulations. In addition, various bodies require registration, for example for a
- Funding: groups and organizations such as the Federal Ministry of Education and Research or the German Research Foundation (DFG)
- Publication: medical journals.
The DRKS does not accept studies with the following criteria:
- no clear clinical reference
- animal experiments
- pure research on tissue without informed consent of the participants and signed consent to participate in this study. Exception: COVID studies
- reviews and meta-analyses
- pure data collection from patients without clear clinical reference
You cannot delete a study registered in the DRKS there.