People suffering from chronic diseases benefit greatly from the pipeline of medications brought to market by hardworking clinical researchers who design and carry out clinical trials of drugs that show promise.
Despite these advances, it is extremely common for people living with one or more chronic diseases to cycle through various medications before finding one that works for them. They may become less responsive to their current regimen over time as well. For this and other reasons, there is an ongoing need to research and develop innovative, safe, and effective therapies. As a result, patients willing to participate in clinical trials are vital.
Clinical trials are simply impossible without patient participation since animal studies are insufficient because medication that appears to work in lab animals may not work in humans. There is no way around it – medicines must be tested in patients for safety and efficacy.
There are several reasons why you should consider taking part in a clinical trial to test a drug candidate or medical device. By doing this, you are providing real-world evidence about the experience of living with a chronic disease.
Science is not static
Without scientific research, it’s impossible to advance our understanding of the human mind and body. Furthermore, we cannot assess our interventions’ impact on medical conditions that affect us. Therefore, scientists at major research institutions and pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms work tirelessly to design clinical trials that test the safety and efficacy of medications and therapies that may one day benefit the patient population. Volunteering to take part in clinical trials in the hopes that the drug will one day help others with the same condition as you is a significant contribution to society.
Early access to new treatments
In the first phase of clinical trials, drugs are tested to ensure general safety. Phase two is to determine whether the drug is effective. They are usually performed on a small group of 25 to 50 subjects with similar conditions. These patients are assigned different doses or routes of administration at random.
More people participate in phase three of clinical trials to see if the new drug is as safe and effective as the current standard treatment. These participants all suffer from the medical condition the new drug is designed to treat. They are usually randomly assigned to either the experimental drug plus the current standard treatment or the standard treatment alone. As a result, unless the trial has a cross-over design, not all participants will receive the new therapy.
Before agreeing to participate in phase three clinical trials, it is critical to understand that these trials require control groups of people who do not receive the drug being studied to determine whether the drug provides benefit or harm to patients. As a result, there is always the possibility that you will be assigned to the trial’s control arm and will not receive the new therapeutic treatment.
Better medical care
Clinical trials are designed by researchers in a collaboration that requires clinicians, researchers, patients, and an ethical oversight body to guard the rights of all participants. This oversight body examines the structure and management of clinical trials and human research in general. In addition, it requires scientists to communicate directly with participants to responsibly share and transparently inform them about their findings.
During the clinical trial, participants have the right to be treated as patients and can then share what is important to them with researchers. In addition, participants must agree to enrol and share their health data with scientific investigators. Furthermore, patients are carefully monitored once enrolled, which means they see your doctor and healthcare team more frequently and benefit from benefits not available from standard, approved treatments.
However, there is the possibility that you will be assigned to the standard treatment group or that the medication being tested will not work for you. You may also have adverse reactions to the medication. In that case, your doctor will advise you on whether to continue with the clinical trial.
Medicine and experience matters
Certain conditions must be met before enrolling in any clinical trial. These conditions may differ from one trial to the next. Many times, people who participate in clinical trials – particularly for medications – must meet stringent physical and mental health criteria so researchers can extract accurate results from the massive amounts of data collected from everyone.
People suffering from a disease may not always be eligible for clinical trials. Exclusion can occur for various reasons, including:
- Comorbid conditions
- Family medical history that precludes participation
- Inadequate time to fully participate in the trial
- Inability to physically travel to the facility for evaluation
Despite these obstacles, there are still ways for patients to contribute to scientific advancement because the unique experience of people living with chronic diseases is extremely valuable.
Be central in the treatment journey
You have the choice to participate in a clinical trial or a research registry. You are taking a more active role in your own healthcare by choosing to share your personal health data. You are also helping advance the understanding of disease as a society. Participation allows you to advocate for the most important issues to you and the patient community.
Ask the appropriate questions
Researchers may need months or even years to comprehend the impact of a medication or device fully. Furthermore, even if a clinical trial is successful, the therapy may not be immediately available to you and others by prescription. As a result, it’s critical that you ask your doctor important questions about what to expect from your clinical trial participation.
Questions to consider include:
- What is the time commitment required to participate? This will help you better plan any activities like holidays, etc.
- What is the cost involved? It is critical to note that patients should never be required to pay to participate in a clinical trial.
- Will I require the assistance of a family member or friend to help me cope with the experience? Unfortunately, not everyone has a support system living close by to help with physical or emotional experiences.
- What should I anticipate from the treatment? First, ensure you’re informed about possible side effects.
- Will I be able to tell if I’m on treatment or in the control group? In blind studies, patients may only find out whether they are in the control or placebo group after the clinical trial is completed.
- When will the trial results be released, and how will I find out about them? It’s helpful to know whether there will be ongoing research.
Unfortunately, not enough people are participating in clinical trials. Some of this may be related to concerns that these questions will address. However, there is an urgent and ongoing need for patient participation in clinical trials.
Clinresco’s clinical trials
We routinely need participants to assist through clinical trial applications.
COVID-19 treatment trials
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with COVID-19, you might be interested in participating in a clinical trial to test for new COVID-19 treatments.
Crohn’s disease trials
You could be eligible to participate in a clinical trial if you have Crohn’s disease to help us better understand this condition.
Knee osteoarthritis trials
If you suffer from knee arthritis, you may be eligible for a clinical trial.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine trial
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a virus that can infect the respiratory tract, and older adults are at increased risk for complications.
Ulcerative Colitis trial
We are looking for ulcerative colitis volunteers to complete clinical trials to help us research possible treatments.
COVID-19 vaccine study
If you’re aged 18 – 55 and have received two Pfizer vaccines without a booster, you could contribute to COVID-19 booster research.
Want to participate in a clinical trial?
Find out if you are eligible for a clinical trial application. Many doctors are involved in research, and it is critical to keep your healthcare team informed of your clinical trial participation so they can record it and coordinate care.
All Clinresco’s studies are carefully designed to safeguard the participant’s health and are approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and an independent ethics committee before implementation. Find out more.