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Important Aspects Of Clinical Trials Brandon Fl Researchers Should Understand

By Jason Stewart


Clinical trials are an important component in the development of new drugs and medical interventions. They provide a mechanism through which the effectiveness and safety profile of new forms of therapy are tested before being adopted as routine practice. There are a number of facts on clinical trials Brandon Fl aspiring researchers need to know.

This process of testing is usually preceded by what is termed preclinical research. At this stage the new molecules or methods of intervention are tested on animal models, human cells or tissues in a laboratory. This step determines whether the trial will proceed or will be abandoned. For instance, if a new drug is found to be toxic to animal models, there is a very high likelihood that it will be harmful to human tissues as well hence, there is no need to proceed.

The clinical research proper starts with phase zero. This is the first point at which a drug is given to human subjects. The number of people is usually small (about 15) and the dose of the drug is also quite low. This is to avoid unwanted effects that may not be known yet. It takes a few months to complete.

The next stage is phase one. This is only carried out if phase zero was successful. If the findings were unfavourable the options include making changes on the molecule or abandoning the study. This phase requires several months to be completed. It involves a slightly higher number of people who range from twenty to eighty. The main aim of this stage is to study the safety profile of the drug.

Phase 1 provides the researcher with other important information other than the side effects associated with the drug. Part of this will include the optimum dose that can be used. This is determined by a gradual increase of the dose to the maximum level that can be tolerated. It is also possible to know the most effective route of administration.

About 75 per cent of phase 1 studies usually proceed to the next step. At phase 2, the study participants are a few hundreds. The precondition for one to be considered as a participant is that they should have the medical condition behind controlled by the drug. There are several months of follow up by the researcher to see how effective the drug is in the larger. Data collected are used to make decisions on subsequent stages of study.

By the time the trial gets to phase 3, the number of participants usually has expanded to several thousands. This group also comprises persons that are suffering from the disease. The main aim of this phase is to look at the strengths and weaknesses of a new drug as compared to those that have been in use in the treatment of a particular illness. The new drug should be safer and preferably more effective to get approval .

The final phase, 4, takes place after a drug has been approved for human use. About a quarter to a third of studies from the third stage, make it to the fourth. Thousands of participants in a vast geographical area are involved. The idea is to monitor long term side effects of the drug since these may not be evident in the earlier stages.




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