Clinical research trials play an integral role in finding new effective drugs or treatment options around the world and this alone should validate the importance of such research. One should not forget that every new approved drug or breakthroughs in the field of medicinal chemistry have to be attributed to the thousands of volunteers, doctors and nurses who have put in hours conducting studies and trials.
Here, we look at some of the top reasons why it is important to continue doing clinical research to fight off the innumerable ailments present in the world.
What is a Clinical Research Trial?
A clinical research trial is basically a long process divided into four phases to identify the safety and effectiveness of a drug for a particular disease while conducting tests on humans. It is not necessarily used just for the purpose of finding a treatment as trials are conducted for diagnosis, prevention or even relieving symptoms.
While Phase I trials are conducted usually on healthy people to check if there are any side effects or not, the Phase II and Phase III trials are conducted on patients as well to see the effectiveness, and identify thesafety and the ideal dosages.
Post these three phases, the authority usually approves or disapproves the drug. The Phase IV trials are conducted to make improvements in the effectiveness of the drug by changing the composition.
Importance of Clinical Trials
Validation of medical therapies
To truly analyse and validate the benefits of a drug, clinical research trials on humans are essential. Only when these trials are conducted on hundreds and thousands of people will there be enough data to classifythe drug as potentand suitable for the general public. The medical research authorities do keep a tab on the developments of such research trials to give quick approvals.
Zeroing in on the right treatment plan
There is no shame in accepting that doctors and scientists do not always know what the right treatment plan is and this is mostly the case when a new disease is on the rise. Be it an acute or a chronic disease, it is important to ensure that multiple clinical trials are conducted so that the right treatment plan comes up.
At a time when the novel Coronavirus has taken over the world, such clinical trials are what that will save millions of lives once the best treatment plan comes out. One should not forget that the right treatment for Polio was found during clinical research trials, which led to the eradication of the disease in most parts of the world.
Helps the patients enjoy miraculous escapes
When patients face a life-threatening disease that has no marketed or adequate medication, they are ready to undergo a clinical research trial irrespective of the potential risks involved. It is mostly because they want to take control of their health in some way by undergoing a treatment method which they believe will help them.
There have been an incredible number of cases where a patient has undergone a medical therapy that was not yet approved but got tremendous results that eventually saved their lives. In such cases, the clinical research trials are not just getting a positive result but are able to help someone make a miraculous escape fromdeath.
Improvement on the existing treatment options
No one can deny the fact that the antibodies that causes disease are getting stronger and the best way to deal with them is to improve the efficiency and potency of existing drugs and treatment options. This is when Phase IV of the clinical research kicks in where further tests are conducted on patients to see faster results.
Final thoughts
All said and done, there is absolutely no doubt regarding the importance of clinical research trials on humans to improve healthcare around the world. Jubilant Biosys,a leading Contract Research Organization in India, help in pre-clinical research to ensure that trials are conducted smoothly.
To continue enhancing the healthcare, more money has to be invested in such pre-clinical and clinical research trials to get the optimum results.
Pre-clinical research is just one stage in the medicine making process. Check out the infographic below to see how your medicine is made, from start to finish!
Infographic provided by The Emmes Company, a clinical data management organization