In our individual lives, progress happens in small steps. From the daily decisions that we make to eat a more healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis to avoiding other kinds of unhealthy habits like drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough rest. And while it is perfectly acceptable to make slow, steady progress when it comes to your individual weight and your health, this is not always the best course of action when it comes to professional research. In the pharmaceutical industry, for instance, patients across the world are waiting for new medications and treatments that sometimes mean the difference between life and death.
For these reasons, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of clinical studies that are funded by the government, doctors, scientists, and pharmaceutical companies. With a detailed and closely regulated approach, there are processes in place to make sure that the much needed progress happens on a pace that is both productive and reliable.
Clinical Research Guidelines Provide Close Regulation
From epilepsy studies to diabetes clinical trials to depression study paid opportunities, there are many different kinds of research that are going on at any one time. In all of these situations, it is reassuring to know that there are processes in place to make sure that the results can be tracked and that they are reliable.
Consider some of these facts and figures about the the clinical research industry and the impact that it has on both the health and economy of the nation:
- Only 56 of the more than thousand of compounds under pharma researchers’ microscopes in 2015 were launched as new medicines, according to the European Pharmaceutical Review.
- There are an estimated 100,000 over-the-counter drug products marketed and sold in U.S. stores, according to a 2016 report from the International Trade Association.
- Phase one clinical trials test safety in human use.
- Phase two clinical trials test the drug’s effectiveness at treating disease.
- Phase three clinical trials test large scale safety and effectiveness.
- Stage four clinical trials test long-term safety.
Whether you have benefitted from the latest epilepsy studies or you are still waiting for approval on a new cancer drug, it it important to know that the medical and pharmaceutical research that goes on in this country is both regulated and reliable.