Availability of clinical trial individual patient data in the BMJ before and after adoption of a stringent data-sharing policy, compared with recent rates at other major medical journals

Open sharing of individual patient data in BMJ trials increased from 0% to 58% after the 2024 policy change, surpassing rates in other major medical journals.

• Why it matters: Sharing detailed clinical trial data enhances transparency and reproducibility, but adoption remains limited due to author reluctance and lack of enforcement, risking research integrity.
• What they did: The study analyzed data-sharing statements from BMJ trials published in 2023 and 2025, comparing pre- and post-policy implementation, and included data from five other leading journals.
• The result: The findings demonstrate that a strict data-sharing policy significantly boosts open IPD availability, though author compliance remains challenging without strong editorial enforcement.