Once a phase III study is successfully completed, a pharmaceutical company can request FDA approval for marketing the drug. The sponsor of the research hires physicians, who may work in a wide variety of health-care settings, to conduct the clinical trial. Physicians are typically paid on a per-patient basis. The medical care is often provided free to the patient. Patients may also be paid a small fee to participate in a clinical trial.
People participate in clinical research for a variety of reasons.
People who volunteer for phase II and phase III trials can gain access to promising drugs long before these compounds approved for the marketplace. They typically will get excellent care from the physicians during the course of the study. This care may also be free. The patients' rights and safety are protected in two important ways. The IRB, which is usually composed of physicians and lay people, is charged with examining the study's protocol to ensure that the patient's rights are protected, and that the study does not present an undue or unnecessary risk to the patient.