We need another 3R rule: repeat, repeat, repeat!

There is consensus within the scientific community that replication studies are scientifically sound and bring added value and reliability to any discovery. It is also widely acknowledged that replications are not as common as they perhaps should be. The reasons for this vary depending on the stakeholder - here we will discuss the matter from the perspective of the pharmaceutical industry. However, the views expressed here are our own and do not represent the official standpoint of our employer or the industry in general. We will focus this commentary on the issues related to replications of the clinical part of the drug development, as our expertise is most closely related to this area, but the matter is equally relevant and important in the pre-clinical domain.