Elsevier, a global leader in information and analytics, is announcing the addition of half a million records from ClinicalTrials.gov to its leading biomedical literature database, Embase. The integration will enable researchers to seamlessly view high-quality information on clinical research studies and their results alongside the peer-reviewed literature, in-press publications and conference abstracts already available in Embase. Researchers will be able to conduct more comprehensive evidence and literature searches while having the confidence they will never miss important updates relevant to their drug, therapy, or medical device.
Clinical trials data is a vital component of biomedical literature search, helping pharmaceutical and medical device companies stay informed about the latest scientific advancements, regulatory requirements, and competitive insights to support evidence-based decision-making. However, gathering data from multiple sources is currently prone to errors and is time-consuming, such as the duplication of search results, which slows research and regulatory processes. As new therapies and devices are developed and R&D organizations seek collaborative partners, they must undertake thorough searches and justifications of evidence. This process becomes challenging when data must be sourced from differing platforms, and regulatory and compliance requirements continue to evolve.
The addition of ClinicalTrials.gov data to Embase will improve researcher workflows by making clinical data searchable within Embase’s user-friendly interface. By presenting all biomedical evidence in a single platform, Embase enables researchers to better align and analyze search results, as well as export data into a citation manager. Clinical trials will be automatically indexed using the latest Emtree vocabulary, ensuring they are indexed accurately based on their title, a brief summary and detailed description. This new integration continues to support multiple use cases that Embase delivers to users, including to medical affairs, to understand clinical endpoints, outcomes and patient populations for already-approved drugs, providing competitive intelligence, supporting medical device development and approval, improving clinical trial design, and improving drug safety.
By late 2025, Embase will further expand its ClinicalTrials.gov coverage to include eligibility criteria and study plan information, reinforcing its role as a comprehensive platform for accessing both published literature and clinical trial registry data.
Mirit Eldor, Managing Director of the Life Sciences business at Elsevier, said, “Researchers are under increasing pressure to conduct comprehensive evidence searches with accuracy and efficiency, ensuring no critical information is overlooked. The incorporation of clinical trials data into Embase is the latest example of Elsevier’s commitment to developing innovative solutions that enhance researchers’ workflows. With access to comprehensive, high-quality data, researchers can reduce time spent on manual searches, while making more informed decisions that ensure the integrity of their company’s drug, therapy, or medical device. We have had many requests from customers to add Clinical Trials data into Embase and I’m delighted that we are able to improve the value that we deliver to our customers”
