Time (months, number of visits, length of visits) . . .

Study purpose . . .

Thousands of people volunteer to participate in clinical trials every year. The reasons for participation vary, but all of them help to advance medicine. Some reasons include:

• Medical supervision. Some people have a disease for which there is no approved treatment. They might join a clinical trial in the hopes of receiving an experimental medicine.
• Contribute to future treatments. Many participants wish to help future patients. This has been reported by both patients and healthy volunteers.
• Help improve the lives of others. Some people participate with the hope of helping others. The investigational drug or vaccine could benefit other patients and, in some cases, save lives.

Risks . . . informed consent

Clinical research studies are used to show if/how a investigational drug works and to find out if it is safe. They can also be referred to as clinical research trials. Qualified healthcare professionals run clinical studies. The doctors and other healthcare providers are responsible for the study-related care of the people that participate (or enroll) in these studies. Clinical research studies are a mandatory part of the process that leads to health authority review and approval which is required before a drug can be marketed.

Independent committees (called Institutional Review Boards or IRBs) are made up of medical and nonmedical people who also watch over clinical research studies to make sure that the people who enroll are properly and adequately informed and consent to study participation.

An inactive substance or treatment that looks the same as, and is given in the same way as, an active drug or intervention/treatment being studied.

Time (months, number of visits, length of visits) . . .

Study purpose . . .

Thousands of people volunteer to participate in clinical trials every year. The reasons for participation vary, but all of them help to advance medicine. Some reasons include:

• Medical supervision. Some people have a disease for which there is no approved treatment. They might join a clinical trial in the hopes of receiving an experimental medicine.
• Contribute to future treatments. Many participants wish to help future patients. This has been reported by both patients and healthy volunteers.
• Help improve the lives of others. Some people participate with the hope of helping others. The investigational drug or vaccine could benefit other patients and, in some cases, save lives.

Risks . . . informed consent

Clinical research studies are used to show if/how a investigational drug works and to find out if it is safe. They can also be referred to as clinical research trials. Qualified healthcare professionals run clinical studies. The doctors and other healthcare providers are responsible for the study-related care of the people that participate (or enroll) in these studies. Clinical research studies are a mandatory part of the process that leads to health authority review and approval which is required before a drug can be marketed.

Independent committees (called Institutional Review Boards or IRBs) are made up of medical and nonmedical people who also watch over clinical research studies to make sure that the people who enroll are properly and adequately informed and consent to study participation.

An inactive substance or treatment that looks the same as, and is given in the same way as, an active drug or intervention/treatment being studied.