Clinical trials are hugely important, from phase 1 clinical trials to phase 4 clinical trials (typically the final phase in any typical clinical trial). After all, without clinical trials such as phase 1 clinical trials, we would be without many of the advances in medicine that we all benefit from. Clinical trials have led to medical achievements and discoveries, and should be heralded as an important part of treating most if not all of known medical conditions.
Take, for example, Hepatitis C. Hepatitis C used to be a much dreaded disease and condition. If you caught Hepatitis C and were diagnosed with it, you could expect a disease that needed life long management and would progress in severity if not properly handled. Some patients with Hepatitis C even eventually needed a liver transplant, as the disease profoundly and severely affected the function of the liver. Now, however, medication has been discovered that completely eradicates Hepatitis C from the system of the affected person, meaning that just a short course of treatment, if taken properly, can eliminate any negative effects that would otherwise occur, especially those particularly detrimental ones that would occur years after diagnosis, such as the need for a liver transplant. This treatment for Hepatitis C only lasts twelve weeks maximum and cures up to ninety five percent of patients fully.
Clinical trials, including phase 1 clinical trials, are often beneficial for many cancer patients as well. Aside from the standard oncology treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy, clinical trials and clinical research has about a twenty percent success rate. This is in comparison to the use of oncology drugs alone, which only have a typical success rate of four percent at a maximum. Thus, a phase 1 clinical trial or even a phase 4 clinical trial is much more likely to have a positive effect and is often deemed to be worth the risk for cancer patients who are running out of viable treatment options and have progressing cancer.
Clinical trails can vary even further, from paid depression studies to epilepsy studies and diabetes clinical trials. In total, nearly one hundred and fifty billion dollars is spent on clinical trials and research studies in just one year, according to the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations. Many pharmaceutical companies are even behind the push for more clinical trials, including phase 1 clinical trials, as more than ten of the leading research institutions are run or backed by pharmaceutical companies throughout the United States.
A clinical trial tends to work in a set path and way. It starts with the phase 1 clinical trial, which includes a relatively small group of people and has a goal of testing the safety of a drug or treatment for human use. A phase 2 clinical trial is typically much larger than the average phase 1 clinical trial and focuses on the effectiveness of the drug or treatment and how it treats the disease. Phase 3 centers on large scale safety and is often the largest phase of the trial and a phase 4 clinical trial deals with matters concerning long term use and the safety surrounding that.
From phase 1 clinical trials to the final stage, phase 4 clinical trials, clinical trials are hugely important for many people in the United States – and around the world at large. After all, without the process of clinical trials, we would be without many important treatment methods and drugs that are used to save lives on a daily basis now. These drugs have made a difference in the lives of many many people throughout the country, allowing them to lead healthy, productive lives or even just giving them more time with their loved ones (as is often the case for patients with advanced stages of cancer). Clinical trials provide medical innovation and progress, yes, but they also provide hope. Phase 1 clinical trials are only the beginning as we continue to go down the road of progress.