Facts On Clinical Trials Brandon Fl Researchers Should Know

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.

The trial is preceded by what is referred to as preclinical research. This entails determination of whether or not the study is feasible in humans. At this point the molecule or drug of interest is used on human cells or animal models and the effects studied. A drug that proves to be harmful may need some modification or is abandoned altogether.

The next stage comprises a number of phases the first of which is phase zero. Here, just a small group of subjects are included in the study. The number is often less than fifteen. At the same time, only a small dose of the drug under development is administered. This is mainly because the harmful effects, if any, may not be fully understood at this point.

A successful phase zero allows for the commencement of phase 1. If unwanted effects are noted, however, more research at the preclinical stage is warranted. Phase 1 is typically carried out over several months. The main objective is to determine the effects of the drug (or any other intervention) on the test subjects. The number of people enrolled here ranges from 20 and 80.

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 three quarters of phase one trials proceed to phase 2.The number of subjects is in the hundreds at this point. The usually have the disease or medical condition for which the drug is being developed. Participants will usually be followed up over several months to a few years. Data from this phase are used to determine how the next phase is to be carried out.

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 .

Phase 4 is the final stage and comes after approval. It involves the tracking of rare and long term effects of the drug that may not have been seen earlier. This usually takes many years and is conducted in different geographical locations. The number of third phase trials that get to this point is about 25 per cent.




About the Author:



Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire