Clinical trials can also test new uses of drugs or treatments that are already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for a specific use. Clinical trials are carried out under strict guidelines with great attention to measures of safety.
People participate in clinical research for a variety of reasons.
People who volunteer for clinical trials may gain access to promising drugs before these compounds are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the marketplace. Others choose to participate as a way to advance science. As a patient, your rights and safety are protected in two important ways. The IRB, which is usually composed of physicians from different specialties as well as people with no formal science training, 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. This form details the nature of the study, the risks involved, and what may happen to a patient in the study.