Join us at the CRAACO: Clinical Research As A Care Option Conference 16Sep in Philly
about clinical research
What is Clinical Research?
Clinical research is research that involves people who volunteer to help us better understand medicine and health. This research involves clinical trials where people volunteer to take investigational drugs. Investigational drugs are drugs that are so new they have not been approved by the FDA. The reason these drugs were developed is to hopefully provide a better product than what is currently available on the market. The results of the clinical trial determine whether or not the investigational drug is safe and effective. If the drug is safe and effective FDA approval is granted.
Why are Clinical Trials Important?
Without clinical trials there would be NO drugs, not even over-the-counter medications. All drugs must first be tested and proven to be safe and effective before they can be made available to the public. Clinical trials are used to prove the safety and effectiveness.
Why should you volunteer to participate in a Clinical Trial?
Too often we hear people say this drug doesn't work in black and brown people, or in old people or in women. People then want to blame the pharmaceutical companies for not developing medications for all people. The reality is the pharmaceutical companies don't have the information needed to develop medications that work for everyone if they don't have the right type of people volunteering to participate in their clinical trials. Currently 75% of clinical trial volunteers are Caucasian, 11% are Hispanic, 8% are African American and only 6% are Asian and of those participants only 30% were elderly.
The FDA is now urging pharmaceutical companies to design clinical trials that are more diversified. What is needed is for the demographics of the clinical trial volunteers to reflect the demographics of those persons affected by the disease/condition the investigational drug is for. This means for conditions like diabetes where those most affected are Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanics pharmaceutical companies need to have volunteers who are members of these groups.
Pharmaceutical companies cannot meet these expectations without your willingness to volunteer. When you volunteer it not only benefits you, it benefits those in your ethnic community, as well as the generations to come.
