Clinical research studies are scientific studies that are carried out to find the best ways to treat or prevent diseases. They are an integral part of developing new drugs and devices for the treatment and prevention of diseases.
Clinical studies are conducted to assess a new treatment's safety, which is made possible by the aid of volunteers (healthy volunteers and people with diseases) who agree to participate in them and use new drugs and devices.
Today any drug undergoes a long series of clinical trials before it reaches the patient. It is necessary to prove that it can solve a certain health problem and do it more effectively and, preferably, safer than its predecessors.
People participate in clinical trials for a variety of reasons. Some want to try new treatment methods, hoping for their high effectiveness compared to the standard therapies. Others take part in trials due to their desire to contribute to science or make money. At the same time, the rest are willing to get access to free drugs and medical care.
The success of clinical trials depends on the participation of volunteers. Participants in clinical research gain access to new experimental treatments that are not yet available to the general public while helping others by contributing to medical research.
The most significant barrier to recruiting patients into clinical trials is their shortage. Possibilities for participation in a clinical trial for a population with a particular disease are limited by the inclusion and exclusion criteria. It means that not even every patient who wants to participate will be able to participate. For example, research on certain drugs may require unusual combinations of disease characteristics. Finding suitable patients and obtaining their consent is difficult.
According to www.clinicaltrials.gov, in 2020, 325,820 studies were initiated, of which 117,405 in the USA.