Clinical trials that are well-designed and well-executed are recognized as the best, the safest and the most comprehensive scientific way how to test the new medicines today. On the other hand, like many others medical procedures they also have their benefits and risks, whereof the most of them are predictable but some of them are not.
What are the benefits?
The main advantage of being involved in a clinical trial is that you may be given a new and better treatment for the condition you have. Some benefits will be universal to all clinical trials and others will be based on your personal situation.
Anyway, there is no lifetime guarantee for any benefits, sometime they couldn't be estimated entirely, but some of them potentially could be:
- Playing an active role in own health care.
- Gaining access to new research treatments before they are widely available.
- You will have a chance to help future generations by allowing researchers to learn more about new medicine or particular treatment.
- If the approach being studied is found to be helpful, you may be among the first to benefit.
- If you are taking part in a trial your treatment and progress may be monitored even more closely than if you were receiving the standard treatment.
- If you are debilitated in some way, you may have the opportunity to test a regimen that would improve your quality of life.
- The drugs and protocols offered during clinical trials are often provided at no cost to participants.
What are the disadvantages or risks?
Some treatments being studied can have unpleasant or even serious, side effects. Often these are temporary and end when the treatment is stopped but others, however, can be permanent. Some side effects appear during treatment, and others may not show up until after the study is over. The risks depend on the treatment being studied and the health of the trial participant. All known risks must be fully explained by the researchers before the trial begins. If new risk information becomes available during the trial, participants must be informed.
Some of them are:
- There may be unpleasant, serious or even life-threatening side effects to treatment.
- The treatment may not be effective for the participant.
- New approaches may have side effects or risks unknown to the doctors.
- Even if a new approach has benefits, it may not work for you.
- You may be given a new treatment that is not as effective as the standard treatment.
- You may have to visit your place of treatment more often, or have more tests, treatments or monitoring than you would if you were receiving the standard treatment.
- Patients do not know whether they are receiving the experimental drug or treatment, or a previously approved drug or treatment, or even a placebo.
- New doesn't always mean better.
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