Paid Clinical Trials take place across the country and the world each day and companies like https://www.trials4us.co.uk/ are at the forefront of some medical breakthroughs . Their aim is to find out what effects a new drug or treatment has on people with existing illnesses and the ways in which this could ease the symptoms. There are a number of ways in which these trials can be carried but all of them usually consist of the following phases, although phase 0 is often skipped.
Phase 0 – this is where the way in which the drug affects the body is analysed. Only a small dose is given to a small number of participants. The amount given is not enough to help with any symptoms.
Phase 1 – the drug is given to a number of healthy participants and any side effects are reported and the way in which the body reacts to the drug is monitored closely.
Phase 2 – following a successful phase 1 the drug can move into this phase where patients who have a condition that the drug is looked at being suitable for are given the drug and any side effects are reported as are any positive effects on their condition.
Phase 3 – this involves using a larger sample of participants and again reporting the results.
Phase 4 -this usually occurs after drug approval has been received and is a way to monitor the long term risks on taking the medication.