Also referred to as clinical research or research studies, clinical trials are well-designed studies that collect information about diseases, disorders, and health conditions through the help of human volunteers, as opposed to animal studies, which are known as preclinical research studies.
Many clinical trials are designed to evaluate the effectiveness of new medications, treatments, medical devices, and other interventions, and many of the medicines, vaccines, and other therapies available to patients today are the direct result of clinical research.
Clinical trials also may be conducted to assess the impact of surgical techniques, diagnostic tests, and more.
Clinical studies are conducted to find out the answers to any number of questions about our health and fuel discoveries in the form of new therapies and treatments to help treat a range of conditions. Depending on the specific clinical trial, the goal may be to find ways to:
Before any new medical treatment can be approved by government organizations, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, clinical research must be conducted to assess the effectiveness and safety of the intervention; this ensures the medication, therapy, or device works and is safe for use in humans.
Doctors and other prescribing healthcare providers cannot prescribe medications or recommend medical treatments that haven’t first been studied via clinical research.
For patients, the purpose of joining a clinical trial may include the opportunity to:
BioNews is partnering with clinical trial organizations to help get the word out about opportunities to participate in studies related to our rare and chronic disease patient communities. If you’re interested in learning more, click the link below.
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