How Clinical Trials Advance Healthcare

Every major breakthrough in modern medicine has only been rendered valid and applicable when tested and experienced by human patients. Whether it’s advancements in gene therapy, oncology, heart disease, diabetes, or any other disease states, these progressions are only as valid as their positive effects in human application. Clinical trials have become the principal venues through which these medicinal breakthroughs are made and have become a pillar of medication development in every area of specialization.

Data from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) indicates that 14 percent of all drugs in clinical trials eventually win approval from the FDA — a much higher percentage than previously thought. Let’s examine some of the reasons why clinical trials are so important and their impact on the development of lifesaving medications for all types of diseases.

They Put Patient Safety First

While patient safety was initially a challenge in the clinical trial paradigm, multiple regulatory and clinical safeguards have since been enacted to ensure the utmost precautions. The Food and Drug Administration also acts a watch dog for approval, trial progress and any unforeseen difficulties that may emerge throughout the process. Rules for clinical trials are initially established by Institutional Review Boards (IRB), and government organizations like the FDA, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMB). These panels are made up of experts who are acutely familiar with the disease state for which the medication is being developed and can provide informed, safe and expert guidance.

They Offer A Controlled Environment for Adverse Reactions

The reality of clinical trials is that they’re just that, trials. Many patients will experience moderate to more severe adverse reactions to the medications they’re taking in conjunction with the study. Clinical trials provide a safety-net framework that allows these issues to be addressed immediately to mitigate the prospect of patient risk. On a macro note, in identifying these adverse reactions, study practitioners are able to determine possible risks for use of the drug in a broad range of patient categories to help provide comprehensive and true reporting and guide patients in their decision making.

Facilitating Access to Clinical Trials for Eligible Patients

One of the disadvantages of the clinical trial paradigm is that it, in the past, it has been difficult for patients to access these trials. There is often a disconnect between patients and study organizers which leads to lower rates of enrollment. These delays can be especially destabilizing in the oncology landscape with such time-sensitive cases.

GoMo Health, The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR), and AIM-HI are partnering to streamline access to clinical trials in patients’ specific locales and all over the world in an effort to reduce the anxiety, stress, and confusion that discourages them from seeking potentially viable clinical trials. Patients will be individually nurtured through each step of the study with messages and support to help manage expectations regarding what to expect, what’s required of them, recommendations for success, and tools for empowerment to self-manage physical and psychological impact and improve outlook. It’s all a part of our guiding principles, which define our mission of providing a system of direct-delivered resources to patients in their moment of need.