What Are Clinical Studies?

Clinical trials are research studies in which researchers and doctors answer specific questions regarding the health effects of new therapies or new ways to use existing therapies and determine their safety and efficacy. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to find solutions for many health problems. Clinical trials are usually complicated, occur in a few phases, and are very costly.

Clinical trials are monitored by the clinical trial team, which includes doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals. They check the health of participants at the beginning of the trial, as well as during it, and they follow-up with participants after the trial is completed. Participants of clinical trials gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available and help others by contributing to medical research. Clinical trial participation is most successful when the specific study protocol is carefully followed and there is frequent contact with the research staff.

What Is a Clinical Study Protocol?
A clinical study protocol is a carefully designed study plan on which a clinical trial is based. It describes what types of patients may participate in a trial, the schedule of tests, procedures, medications and dosages and the length of the study. A study protocol safeguards the health of the participants and answers very specific research questions.

Researchers at the Matthias Rath Company have conducted several clinical trials and developed several specific clinical trial protocols. Our study protocols receive local and central IRB commission approval. IRB stands for the Institutional Review Board, and this independent committee of physicians, statisticians, lawyers, community advocates and other professionals approves or rejects clinical trials conducted with pharmaceutical drugs. IRB commission approval means that the study is conducted according to Good Medical Practice and other medical standards, and ensures that a clinical trial is ethical and the rights of study participants are protected.

.......................................................................................................................

Read about the different types of clinical trials.