Are you interested in participating in a clinical trial? Researchers have made it far more easy to find trials in your area. Also, it easier to learn what to expect and why it's a good or not so good idea to take part. Clinical trials are one of the final steps in researchers finding information in medical research. Once a project completes the clinical trial phase, the medication or medical device is deemed has been vetted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Some feel that medical trials are a team doctors are experimenting on a patient without strict guidelines. This is not true as before testing on humans, the product has gone through rigorous tests. Clinical trials allows you to take part in discovering ground breaking treatments. Your participation has a lasting impact, not only locally and globally, but for you personally. There are ways to find trial studies for important drugs and devices online.
There is a whole sea of CROs and medical/pharmaceutical groups that are looking for all types of participants to participate in one of their clinical trial. Each study having its own inclusion/exclusion criteria makes it easy to find a wide variety of studies for those in any type of condition. Almost always do these type of studies are followed by a promise of financial compensation or reward for completing the process throughout; oftentimes providing a small financial incentive for completing the pre-clinical screening (even if you do not pass their initial assessments for qualification)!
Like the OP mentioned above, there is this stigmatization about clinical trials as this abrasive, wild west frontier of science where everything is sketchy and anything can happen. This is almost never the case given that the drugs, implants, devices, etc. that is the focal point of the study has already gone through an intensive vetting and analytical assessment of any possibility that it can truly harm the patient in someway. Oftentimes, unavoidable side effects may occur but that is why an exclusion criteria is published to prevent those situations.
As mentioned above there is a negative denotation with clinical trials although there are regulations instilled that protect both the patient and researcher. It's important to mention that everyone involved in clinical trials are informed of the risks and have signed an informed consent form (ICF). As someone who suffers from an autoimmune disease that had very little FDA approved treatments, clinical trials have saved me. Without clinical trials we are unable to analyze how specific drugs/treatments may react in the human body. Animal testing alone cannot be enough.
I never realized that for rare diseases, sometimes clinical trials are the only means of getting treatment. Some of these diseases are very niche and do not have approved drugs, so the only drugs available are experimental products. Are patients in this situation more willing to take risks and join clinical trials than patients who suffer from a disease that has alternative drug treatments? If so, how large are these risks and are patients truly aware of the magnitude of these risks?
