Joining a Clinical Trial

Before I get into a subject that is important and why it should be important to you, I need to let you know that this piece has been entered in the Patients Have Power Writing Contest run by Clara Health in hopes of raising awareness about clinical trials. I am passionate about this cause and hope it will help raise much needed awareness about the power of breakthrough research.  You can find out more about Clara Health by going to www.clarahealth.com to find out more about their role in clinical trials.

First let’s start with the age old question of what is a clinical trial. A clinical trial is a scientific evaluation of a therapeutic product where a company that makes pharmaceuticals (medicine) thinks it may help either cure someone or help in a certain condition. They develop the medicine to market it to individuals or hospitals. Before they can do that, however, they must put the drug through a trial to see how it will affect humans that try it. This is known as a clinical trial. As the name suggests it is done in a clinical setting. When you go to the clinic you are given paperwork to read that outlines what the trial is about. It will tell you what phase of testing they are doing and usually outlines the compensation that is offered for your participation. After you read through all this you are then directed to someone who talks to you one on one to make sure that you understood what you have read and to answer any questions you may have. If you still agree to participate then you sign the consent forms and the clinical trial process starts. There are certain criteria you must meet in order to be involved in a clinical trial based upon what the clinical trial is seeking.

Second let’s discuss the clinical trial itself. I am sure each trial is different but I am going to speak to you from my own personal experience after participating in one. The clinical trial I was involved in was an investigational drug for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. After meeting the criteria to join the clinical trial, my experience started by me agreeing to stay for one night during a date of mutual choice. My information was gathered such as medical history and such. Next the doctor came in and evaluated me. I had consented to having a biopsy and other tests run so I had to stay so those tests could be run. After that visit it was like any normal doctor visit. I went once a month. Every time I was seen by a doctor. I was given the utmost care both by him and his staff. That clinical trial lasted for four months. Not once did I ever have to pay for any of that. In fact I was compensated generously for my time and travel. In all actuality I was sad to see the trial end because I was treated so great and the medicine was actually helping.

Third and most importantly why is it so important to participate in a clinical trial? Maybe I can put it to you like this. If you have a condition like mine where you have to take medicine, that medicine has already been through a clinical trial before it was approved for you to take it. Even if not, chances are you have had to take medicine at some point in your life. Same concept applies. It all had to go through clinical trials before it could be used.  Those clinical trials provided the research including the safety and effectiveness necessary for that drug to be approved for whatever treatment it was designed for. This is the reason that clinical trials are so necessary. What if there were no clinical trials to get new medicine approved and what if you were dependent on new meds to treat your ailment? It’s a lot to think about but thank goodness someone participated in a clinical trial to provide you with what you need when you need it. I hope this has explained what a clinical trial is and why it is so very important to get involved in a clinical trial. If you would like to learn more about clinical trials go to www.clarahealth.com for more information. Thanks to Nuvothera for the continued support. If you would like to learn about their products please go to www.nuvothera.com and as always keep checking back for more great articles.