Reinaldo Version, MD & Lead PI (28 years in research)
What Is Clinical Research
Because every clinical trial is designed to answer questions, each trial is managed differently. But, then the end goal is to determine if this drug is safe and effective to treat certain diseases. Clinical trials go through several phases to determine if the drug under study can be approved by the FDA for marketing.
Phases of a Clinical Trial
The FDA mandates that a new drug goes through a series of four types of clinical trials. As the drug moves through each phase, researchers learn more about a medication, including its risks and benefits.
Phase one trials involve small numbers of participants, often normal volunteers.
Phase two trials test the treatment or procedure on a larger number of participants. These participants usually have the condition or disease that the treatment is intended to remedy.
Phase three trials have even more people enrolled. Some may get a placebo (a substance that has no medical effect) or an already approved treatment, so that the new medication can be compared to that treatment.
Phase four happens after the treatment or procedure has been approved. Information about patients who are receiving the treatment is gathered and studied to see if any new information is seen when given to a large number of patients.