What is clinical research?
Clinical research is an integral part of the drug development process. It involves systematic measures used to assess the safety & efficacy of new medicines in human subjects. Often the clinical study or clinical trial compares the new treatment (commonly referred to as “investigational drug”) under evaluation with a placebo (an inactive substance designed to resemble the drug being tested) or the current standard treatment.
Clinical Trials: Any systemic evaluation of new medicines in human subjects whether in patients or healthy volunteers to discover or verify the potential benefits and and/or identify any adverse reactions or side effects to the new drug.
How are clinical trials executed?
Clinical trials are executed in four distinct phases (steps) designed to answer specific research questions. Each phase of the clinical trial has a specific goal and the information gathered is used to build knowledge on the new drug and support the subsequent phases of the drug development process.