Understanding Clinical Trials
New medicines are being discovered and developed all around the world all the time. These new medicines are tested in laboratories and in animal studies to ensure that they work and are safe for human use. Medicines that pass these tests are then allowed to be given to a limited number of healthy human volunteers and patients in a controlled manner before they can be released for general use. Early human use of an experimental medicine is called a ‘Clinical Trial’. These help to confirm the effectiveness and safe use of the new medicines. The government requires these trials to be conducted before a new medicine can be approved for general use.
