Clinical Trials Expand Patients' Treatment Options
MISSION, Kan., Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- (Family Features) For health conditions with no cure, effective treatments are the next best option. However, in order to make medical interventions including new drugs, devices, vaccines and lifestyle modifications available, they must undergo a thorough evaluation process to demonstrate their benefits.
Clinical trials are an important part of this process because they provide data for researchers on the effectiveness of various treatments and interventions. However, many myths about clinical trials deter people from enrolling. In fact, more than 70% of clinical trials are delayed at least one month due to unfulfilled enrollment, according to the "Journal of Medical Internet Research."
Delays create barriers to the drug approval process and result in fewer available treatments for chronic conditions like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The experts at the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation offer these facts about the importance of clinical trials:
How Clinical Trials Work
Before a clinical trial begins, a research team develops a clinical trial protocol. This is the research plan that describes who can join the trial, which treatments the participants will receive, what questions the researchers will try to answer, how long the trial will last and how participant privacy and safety will be protected.
Conducting clinical research relies on volunteer trial participants. Those interested in joining a clinical trial meet with clinical research professionals to discuss the trial, treatments, eligibility requirements and expectations.
Joining a Trial
If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial, do some research. Your doctor may not be aware of or proactively tell you about trials you may be eligible to join. If you find a clinical trial you may be interested in joining, discuss the trial with your doctor and other health care professionals on your research team.
Foundations supporting chronic conditions can be a good source of information. For example, you can learn more about trials affecting individuals with inflammatory bowel disease by exploring the Clinical Trials Community at crohnscolitisfoundation.org.
Michael French
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editors.familyfeatures.com
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