Clinical Trials: Because Meds Don't Always Work

Unknown to most people, prescription medicines undergo stringent testing processes to ensure their safety and efficacy. These clinical trials, also known as interventional studies, involve testing the prototype medicine (the intervention) on a group of test subjects. More often than not, the results of these trials prove useful for improving overall medical care in a number of ways. First, these trials help not only to validate old medical studies, but also to confirm whether certain medical practices are indeed safe. For instance, it was...

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How Medical Clinical Trials Work

Before a new drug or treatment method can be introduced to the public, the health authority or ethics committee in a certain jurisdiction usually requires a clinical trial. This consists of a set of tests that aim to prove the efficacy and safety of the drug or treatment being presented upon market launch. The data typically touches upon adverse reactions or side effects, which help the authorities decide whether or not to approve the sale and distribution of the drug in question. Medical clinical trials are essentially an investigative process...

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Memory Loss: Preparing for the Inevitable

Memory loss, in general, doesn't always indicate that you're at risk of Alzheimer's disease. There are instances when people forget what they've seen or heard a few minutes ago; that's just how the brain works, according to psychologists. However, if you can't remember the names of people you spend a lot of time with, it may signify a problem. If you compare the brain to a hard drive, long-term memory loss is the same as a corrupted drive. It's crucial to detect this degenerative mental disease in its early stages. Among those considered...

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Basic Facts on Clinical Trials and Research

Before a drug is placed in the market or certain medical procedures are approved, clinical trials are frequently conducted to ensure their efficacy and safety. As a component of medical research, clinical trials are methodologically conducted by a team of professionals composed of doctors, nurses, research scientists, social workers, and other healthcare experts. Majority of trials are funded by government agencies, non-profit organizations, and pharmaceutical companies. From discovering new treatments to identifying ways to prevent certain diseases...

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What Are the Phases of Clinical Trials?

Clinical trials are scientific research studies that involve patients as subjects to test treatments and newly developed medicines. The research goes through several stages to make sure that the results are unarguably accurate and reliable. The first stage is usually done for a small group of around 20 to 80, where the subject therapy will be administered for the first time. The second phase involves about a hundred to 300 patients. The results of the Phase I tests will be checked against and compared to the Phase II results. The study will...

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