Drug or vaccine development is the journey from an idea for a potential medicine or vaccine all the way through to bringing that new medicine or vaccine to patients who need it. The development lifecycle includes laboratory research and a series of clinical trials in people. Along the way, important information is collected about the potential medicine or vaccine and how it affects clinical trial participants. If that information shows the potential medicine or vaccine is safe and effective, clinical trial sponsors provide the information to regulatory authorities, such as the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), which decide whether to approve the medicine’s or vaccine’s use by patients.