A clinical trial is a research study involving human volunteers to answer specific health questions. These trials are the quickest and safest way to find treatments that work and improve health. There are two main types of clinical trials: investigational trials and observational trials. Investigational trials test whether new treatments or new ways of using existing treatments are safe and effective in controlled settings. Observational trials study health issues in large groups of people in their natural environments. Clinical trials measure how well treatments work and are a crucial and specialized form of biological testing. The process involves several phases. In Phase I, clinical pharmacologists study the drug’s safety, effects, and how it moves through the body in a small group of healthy volunteers. If the drug passes this phase, it moves to Phase II, where it is tested on a larger group of selected patients to study its safety and effectiveness. In Phase III, hundreds of patients are studied, focusing primarily on safety and therapeutic effectiveness. Once a drug passes Phase III, it is approved and marketed. Even after marketing, doctors from various hospitals and clinics continue to report on the drug’s safety and effectiveness in Phase IV. This thorough process ensures that new treatments are both safe and effective before they become widely available.
