Mike
Carruthers:
In order for new drugs to get on the market they
must go through clinical trials - that is testing on people to see if they're
safe and effective. Why would someone volunteer to participate?
Ken Getz:
For
particular chronic illnesses, there might be new treatments that are in clinical
trials that may be available to patients who have been trying medications on the
market and they're not particularly safe or effective for them. Ken
Getz, author of the book The
Gift of Participation, says clinical trials are going on all of the time for
drugs to treat all kinds of diseases and conditions. Where do you find them? On
the Internet, for example, at the government website: clinicaltrials.gov.
There's a website that we run called searchclinical
trials.org which is a search engine. A
common myth is that, "If I participate in this clinical trial and get the
placebo, my illness won't be treated." Only
about 20% of all clinical trials involve a placebo today - so that's really contrary
to the expectation that all clinical trials do so. The sponsor will typically
include a currently-available treatment as a comparison with the study medication. Clinical
trials are not for everyone but Ken would like people to at least be aware that
they're out there and possibly available... So
that they can think about it more proactively for themselves or for a family member
or for a friend. You
can link to Ken's website from ours: somethingyoushouldknow.net
I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know. | 
