As a volunteer you are the most critical link in a long chain of research and testing in the development of new medications for a broad range of health problems. Participating in the research process that may lead to new therapies. Receiving medical care from physicians during the study. Learning new information about your condition Possibly meeting people with similar conditions. A clinical study is carefully designed to test the effects of a medication, medical treatment or device on a group of volunteers.
Clinical studies are an important step in making new medications available.
They measure the drug's ability to treat a condition, its safety and its side effects. Drug companies must do years of laboratory research before they can begin testing medicines in humans. Detailed information about this process from the FDA is available through a link on our Clinical Trials Home Page. People with the condition being studied as well as healthy people can volunteer to participate in different studies. The FDA has very strict requirements that specify which studies involve healthy volunteers and which studies involve patients with the condition being studied.