Other research Clinical trials research at the Health Sciences Center Pharmaceutical testing is done in multiple stages. First, an investigational agent is tested on animals in a laboratory. After this, the investigational agent must be approved for human testing by the United States Food and Drug Administration. After it gets FDA approval, an agent goes through a series of clinical investigations called trials.
Clinical trials measure a drug's safety and effectiveness when used to treat humans.
Physicians, research scientists and patients participate in the trials. Patients who volunteer to take part in a clinical trial are screened to make sure they meet the necessary criteria. Safety of patients is a primary concern in these tests. Those who are accepted will visit the principal investigating physician, who explains the trial to the patient and who is responsible for the entire conduct of the study. Once a patient is enrolled, a study coordinator takes a medical history and a physician gives the patient a general physical.