Thanks to the tireless efforts of researchers and medical professionals all over the world, you have plenty of choices for vaccines to the COVID-19 virus. These vaccines wouldn’t have been possible without clinical trials.
Clinical trials are crucial steps for securing the release of any drug or vaccine. Clinical trials have helped manufacturers determine Nyquil’s side effects, the efficacy of polio shots and the risk factors of fly vaccines. Research by the Food and Drug Administration discovered that a lot of Americans are enrolling in clinical trials. At one point, Americans made up 31 percent of all clinical trial participants worldwide, despite the United States only making up 4 percent of the global population.
This percentage could be because some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world are based in America. But why do Americans sign up for clinical trials? What about these crucial medical procedures makes them so appealing to Americans?
Learn 5 reasons Americans are eager to join clinical trials.
- Plenty of Safety Protocols
One of biggest misconceptions about clinical trials is that they are unsafe and the drugs untested. This cannot be farther from the truth. Before a drug even reaches human testing, it has already gone through a battery of tests in labs. The two main tests before entering human trials include in vitro testing and in vivo testing.
In vitro testing involves using the drug on tissue samples in petri dishes. In vivo testing is more complex. These tests involve laboratory animals can require more sophisticated preparation, such as cultivating models of orthotopic cancers, selecting specific types of lab animals and other safety measures. By the time the drug reaches human testing, it’s been exhaustively analyzed. Even during clinical trials, companies employ stringent protocols and redundancies to ensure the safety of the participants.
- Respect and Consent
Clinical trials have rightfully been put under the spotlight and understandably mistrusted because of events like the inhuman Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Pharmaceutical companies are also more careful than ever with treating their participants with respect and ensuring their consent because they want to minimize the risk of legal action.
Thanks to heightened vigilance, more government oversight and educated participants, medical trials are scrupulous with these requirements. Clinical trial participants are treated with the respect they deserve.
- Free Cancer Treatment
Cancer is one of the most researched illness by pharmaceutical companies and consequently, there are multiple drugs for treating or managing cancer that go through clinical trials every year. Many Americans are eager to enter clinical trials for cancer drugs because they offer free cancer treatment as well as a chance for better results.
One of the reasons clinical trials for cancer treatments is so coveted is because they rarely use placebos. In other trials, placebos are necessary fail-safes to ensure the trial is going smoothly. In cancer drug trials, placebos are not only very rare, but the patients must be informed if they are given a placebo instead. For the most part, everyone in the trial will receive the best possible treatment for the cancer entirely covered by the company.
- Covered Costs
Some clinical trials are for drugs you take for conditions that only occur once but a lot of them are for curing or managing chronic conditions, like cancer. These clinical trials are also highly coveted because participants of such trial can expect the company sponsoring the trial to pay for the costs of their experimental treatment.
Some companies even cover the cost of getting lab results or doctor’s consultation during the trial period. However, this is not a guaranteed case for all medical trials. Some companies only cover the costs of the experimental treatment. If you are thinking of signing up for a clinical trial, make sure to clarify what they will be covering and what has to be defrayed by your insurance provider.
- Making Tomorrow Healthier
Finally, participants of a clinical trial can take pride in the fact that they are helping make tomorrow’s society healthier. Because of their bravery and willingness to participate in the scientific method, countless diseases can become easier to manage and some can even be cured outright. Participants can take pride in the knowledge that they not only helped themselves, but that they’ve also helped make the future a better place.
Although the public has a right to be vigilant of clinical trials, there is no denying that they are essential steps in ensuring the safety of everyone. The benefits listed above can help explain why someone you know would sign up for a clinical trial.
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