Before a drug is approved for human use, it has to undergo several stages of development. This usually takes years and tremendous amounts of resources. A drug must pass all the safety measures and indeed, it must be effective. This process is what is commonly termed a clinical trial and comprises several steps. If they have plans of carrying out clinical trials Brandon fl researchers must understand all the stages involved beforehand.
This process of testing is usually preceded by what is termed preclinical research. At this stage the new molecules or methods of intervention are tested on animal models, human cells or tissues in a laboratory. This step determines whether the trial will proceed or will be abandoned. For instance, if a new drug is found to be toxic to animal models, there is a very high likelihood that it will be harmful to human tissues as well hence, there is no need to proceed.
The next step is done in several phases, zero to four. Phase zero marks the start of testing in humans. A small number of people are recruited to take place in the study and are only given a small dose of the drug being tested. This helps avoid serious side effects which may not be known yet.
If a drug shows serious side effects, the next phase cannot take off. The researcher has the option of modifying the molecule or giving up the study at this stage. Phase one is slightly larger than phase zero. The number of persons that are required at this point should be anywhere between 20 and 80. This stage is conducted over a couple of months with the main emphasis being on how safe the drug in question is.
Phase one is also important in several other respects other than side effect profiling. For instance, it is the period during which the effective dosage is determined. This is done by gradually increasing the amount administered to subjects and monitoring the side effects. The optimal dose is the highest that can be given without resulting in serious side effects. The route of administration can also be determined at this time.
About 75 per cent of phase 1 studies usually proceed to the next step. At phase 2, the study participants are a few hundreds. The precondition for one to be considered as a participant is that they should have the medical condition behind controlled by the drug. There are several months of follow up by the researcher to see how effective the drug is in the larger. Data collected are used to make decisions on subsequent stages of study.
The third phase is made up of a few thousand participants. They also have a medical condition targeted by the drug. The main role of this stage is to compare and contrast the effects of the new drug with those of pre-existing molecules used for the same condition. Participants receive either the existing drug or the new one in random fashion. The concept of double blinding is also employed to eliminate bias by the researchers and participants.
The final phase, 4, takes place after a drug has been approved for human use. About a quarter to a third of studies from the third stage, make it to the fourth. Thousands of participants in a vast geographical area are involved. The idea is to monitor long term side effects of the drug since these may not be evident in the earlier stages.
This process of testing is usually preceded by what is termed preclinical research. At this stage the new molecules or methods of intervention are tested on animal models, human cells or tissues in a laboratory. This step determines whether the trial will proceed or will be abandoned. For instance, if a new drug is found to be toxic to animal models, there is a very high likelihood that it will be harmful to human tissues as well hence, there is no need to proceed.
The next step is done in several phases, zero to four. Phase zero marks the start of testing in humans. A small number of people are recruited to take place in the study and are only given a small dose of the drug being tested. This helps avoid serious side effects which may not be known yet.
If a drug shows serious side effects, the next phase cannot take off. The researcher has the option of modifying the molecule or giving up the study at this stage. Phase one is slightly larger than phase zero. The number of persons that are required at this point should be anywhere between 20 and 80. This stage is conducted over a couple of months with the main emphasis being on how safe the drug in question is.
Phase one is also important in several other respects other than side effect profiling. For instance, it is the period during which the effective dosage is determined. This is done by gradually increasing the amount administered to subjects and monitoring the side effects. The optimal dose is the highest that can be given without resulting in serious side effects. The route of administration can also be determined at this time.
About 75 per cent of phase 1 studies usually proceed to the next step. At phase 2, the study participants are a few hundreds. The precondition for one to be considered as a participant is that they should have the medical condition behind controlled by the drug. There are several months of follow up by the researcher to see how effective the drug is in the larger. Data collected are used to make decisions on subsequent stages of study.
The third phase is made up of a few thousand participants. They also have a medical condition targeted by the drug. The main role of this stage is to compare and contrast the effects of the new drug with those of pre-existing molecules used for the same condition. Participants receive either the existing drug or the new one in random fashion. The concept of double blinding is also employed to eliminate bias by the researchers and participants.
The final phase, 4, takes place after a drug has been approved for human use. About a quarter to a third of studies from the third stage, make it to the fourth. Thousands of participants in a vast geographical area are involved. The idea is to monitor long term side effects of the drug since these may not be evident in the earlier stages.
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