Clinical trials are an essential part of clinical research and are at the heart of all medical innovations, finding ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease and advance healthcare opportunities for all.
COVID-19 vaccines. Immunotherapy treatments for cancer patients. Medications for diabetes care and control. Advances in the treatment of countless rare diseases.
All of these incredible breakthroughs have been achieved through clinical trials.
Thanks to research and every patient or healthy volunteer who chose to be a part of it, research keeps moving forward, bringing hope to countless families.
The goal of clinical trials is to determine if a new test or treatment works and is safe.
Clinical trials can also look at other aspects of care, such as improving the quality of life for people with chronic illnesses.
People participate in clinical trials for a variety of reasons:
For some patients, particularly those with rare and orphan diseases or other underserved populations, participating in a clinical trial may be the only viable therapy option.
Clinical Research as a Care Option, or CRAACO, is a unique opportunity to access a novel treatment through clinical trials and partnerships between leading research and clinical organizations.
Participating in a clinical trial is one way you can expand access to care – for yourself and the people you care about. The broader the representation is within clinical trials, the more effective treatments will be for every segment of the population. No two people are alike, and medications don’t always work the same in every population.
That’s why pharma companies, trial sponsors and healthcare providers aim to share knowledge, make participating more convenient, and empower patients to become more engaged with their own care.
More diversity in trial participants leads to better science as therapy developers get a better picture of how a drug will work for different demographics.
With new decentralized approaches and better logistics, it’s easier than ever to participate. Consider enrolling in a clinical trial, and speak to your doctor about trials that you might be eligible for.
Most regulatory bodies keep a database of active trials that patients can access and use to identify ongoing studies that they may be able to participate in.