It is hoped that through the new collaboration with Private Access, the innovator of privacy-enhanced search technology, Pfizer will be able to bolster patient participation in clinical trials. The proposed online community is set to focus on patient privacy rights, connecting patients, physicians and researchers with tailored information, tools and technology that will lead to more informed decisions about healthcare, including clinical trial participation industry-wide. It will be the first of its kind and is being lavished in praise.

Part of the challenge with clinical trial accrual is patient awareness, so it will be interesting to see how this initiative goes and whether or not it will have a positive impact.

Of course, there are plenty of clinical trial resources already out there including the big guns such as  NIH/NCI site and  Center Watch, which have an extensive database of broad diseases or the smaller, niche players such as Healogica and others, but new ways of driving awareness are always welcome.  For interested patients, the Private Access trial finder can ber found here.