| Clinical trials are conducted in the health care realm so | | | | reaction. For people who take the risk, though, this |
| that efficacy and safety data can be collected. | | | | work can help them and potentially help many other |
| Satisfactory information has to be gathered before | | | | people. |
| these trials can even begin, because risking human | | | | When the experiments are started they are often |
| being's lives isn't something that these things are | | | | just pilot studies that involve small and select groups |
| expected to do. There can be - and have been - | | | | of people. Later, there are more people included in |
| serious adverse events associated with clinic trials, | | | | the studies and they are made larger after it is seen |
| but minimizing them is the key. Approval then has to | | | | how the pilot study goes. Some trials require healthy |
| be granted for people to participate in the trial, and | | | | volunteers and others require patients who have a |
| no one has to take any medications or receive any | | | | specific disease or condition. There can be other |
| treatments or procedures against their will. People | | | | requirements as well, since the risk to the participants |
| who participate in these kinds of trials are subjected | | | | needs to be minimized. The sponsor of the trials, |
| to various things, but they know what they will be | | | | usually the company who is making the drug or |
| given in advance. It's required that you get informed | | | | creating the treatment or procedure, pays for |
| consent and people have to be aware of what will | | | | anything that the participants need that goes along |
| be done to them and the side effects that they may | | | | with the trial. However, in larger trials the people who |
| experience. That way the people who participate in | | | | sponsor the trial often outsource their work to |
| them will know whether they really want to agree to | | | | others who contract with the company and provide |
| the trial. They often get paid, but financial incentives | | | | workers to handle the actual clinical trials. It stops the |
| might not be enough if they get very sick from the | | | | company from being burdened with the cost plus the |
| treatment or have some kind of life-threatening | | | | added need to find people to handle the research. |