FAQs

Ethics committees review and advise on whether a proposed trial meets required ethical and scientific standards. The committee members are totally independent of the trial sponsor, which means that they have no commercial or other interest in the trials. Now you can find out more about clinical trials by going to www.clinicaltrials.gov.

• You will be assessed by highly qualified medical practitioners or doctors and receive high quality care

• You may be one the first people to benefit from a new drug that is not yet available

• Your participation will be beneficial to the community as it will allow scientists and pharmaceutical companies to increase their knowledge of diseases and develop new medicines

• The treatment may not always be effective

• Patients may experience some side effects

• Patients may receive the placebo instead of the active new drug

Participating in a clinical trial should not affect assess to medical treatment and patients can withdraw from clinical trials at any time.

Before taking part in a clinical trial, there are several aspects you may wish to consider in order to decide whether or not to proceed:

First of all, you should discuss it with your doctor and your family. They may have an alternative point of view that influences your decision.

You may also want to discuss your participation with your patient support group or with other patients who have previously taken part in clinical research.

You may wish to consider if the trial procedures will be acceptable to you. For example, some trials may require a blood sample. You should not hesitate ask the clinical trial team any question you can think of.

It may be worth considering all aspects of your participation, not only those related to the drug itself but also how it might have an effect on your daily life. For example, you will need to find the time to visit the trial site regularly. In some cases you may have to find someone to drive you there or to take care of your children during those visits.

There are precise guidelines set out for each clinical trial to determine who may or may not participate. These guidelines are called inclusion criteria (factors allowing someone to enter a clinical trial) and exclusion criteria (factors preventing someone from participating in a clinical trial).

Examples of criteria are age, gender, past and current treatment of condition, stage or type of disease and so on. Inclusion criteria aside, always remember that you are the only person who can decide whether or not to take part.

The answer is definitely no. You should never be asked to pay to take part in a trial. If you are ever asked to pay, refuse.

The new drug or the comparator are provided free of charge and in most cases, trial visits and associated trial procedures will also be free of charge.

In addition, you may be reimbursed for the costs associated with your participation in the clinical trial such as for local transportation, parking and so on.