Clinical Trials

What is a Clinical Trial?

A clinical trial is a health-related research study in human beings that follows a pre-defined protocol. Interventional studies aim to answer specific questions about new therapies or new ways of using known treatments, while observational studies are those in which patients are observed and their outcomes are measured by the investigators. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the safest and most efficient way to identify treatments that work in people.

There are several benefits to participating in a clinical trial. Participants have the opportunity to play an active role in their own health care, gain access to new investigational treatments before they are made widely available, and help others by contributing to the advancement of medical science through research.

The welfare of participants in clinical trials is carefully protected by the IRB (Institutional Review Board) and the Ethics Committee, each of which reviews all aspects of a clinical trial both before the investigator is able to enroll participants and throughout the trial.

For more information about clinical trials, please visit clinicaltrials.gov.