What Is a Clinical Research Study?
Clinical research studies, also called clinical trials, look at an investigational drug or medical device to see if it is safe, how it works in the body, and if it works to treat a specific disease. Clinical research studies are conducted by doctors who are responsible for the study participants’ study-related care.
In most countries, the regulatory health authority, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, requires that several phases of clinical research be performed to better understand the safety and effectiveness of new investigational drugs and certain medical devices.
Clinical research studies must be approved by an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee (EC). An IRB/EC is a group that is responsible for helping to protect the rights and well-being of study participants. In addition, every study participant is monitored with study-related medical tests and exams before, during, and sometimes even after the study.