On Feb. 22, 2020, a federal judge from the Southern District of New York ruled drug companies, device manufacturers, and universities must turn over missing data from hundreds of clinical trials conducted in the U.S. from 2007-17.

The Judge said government agencies including the NIH, HHS, and the FDA for years misinterpreted a law requiring them to collect and post data to ClinicalTrials.gov, a publicly accessible government database.

If it is upheld, the ruling would make it harder for drug companies to keep unfavorable results from the public, and it could offer vital information for patients and doctors.