CLINICAL TRIALS

First step to clinical trials

Healthy volunteers are first given at a very low dose to test toxicity

Second step to clinical trials

Then in a double blind trial given those with the disease to check: optimum dose, any side effects, test for efficacy.

Third step to clinical trials

In the double blind trial neither the participants or doctors know who has the placebo or not

What is needed in clinical trials

Done over a long period of time, controlling amount of exercise done and age/gender

Why are clinical trials carried out

To test toxicity, efficacy and dosage

Why are drugs trialled for toxicity

To find whether there are harmful side effects

Why are drugs trialled for eficiacy

To test whether the drug works or not

Why are drugs trialled for dosage

To find the optimum dose

Why are drugs trialled

To find dose, efficacy and toxicity

What is preclinical testing carried out on

Cells, live animals, tissues

What is a double blind trial

Neither the patients nor the researchers know if patients have the drug or placebo

What is a placebo?

fake drug