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GENETIC MEDICINE
Prescription for Conflict

The Topic In-Depth #2: Participating in Clinical Trials

by Sally Lehrman
March 2002

If you're interested in participating in a clinical trial, it's important to know that research is not the same as treatment. Furthermore, any study labeled "Phase I" is designed to examine safety, not the effectiveness of a particular drug or therapy.

The NIH maintain a list of clinical trials that includes a small amount of information about each study it sponsors and who can enroll, but does not note any of the problems or side effects seen so far.

Consumers should not hesitate to ask lots of questions, says Terry Toigo, associate commissioner for special health issues at the Food and Drug Administration. She suggests these to start:

• What can I expect?
• What have you seen so far?
• What have you seen in your animal trials?
• What are you concerned about?
• Who is paying for the trial?
• Who is conducting the trial?