What is a clinical study?
Clinical research studies (also called clinical trials) are critical for advancing the treatment of medical conditions and diseases. All drugs must be tested in clinical research studies before they can be approved and prescribed to patients.
During a clinical study, researchers may want to find out the following about an investigational drug:
- If it has manageable side effects
- If it works the way it is expected to
- If it works less well, the same or better than other drugs
- How it behaves in the human body (e.g. where is it transported, how quickly it leaves the body, etc.)