Establishing the Sri Lanka clinical trials registry.

Recognizing the need for a national body for trial registration, the Sri Lanka Medical Association took up the challenge of setting up the Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry. The registry was established in November 2006, the first functioning trial registry in South Asia. The Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry is now a primary registry affiliated to the Registry Network of the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform of the World Health Organization. The Sri Lanka Clinical Trials Registry has not been a mere repository for trial data but has also had a positive influence on the research community in Sri Lanka.