How To Volunteer For Clinical Trials And Why You Should Get Involved

In the process of researching new treatments and drugs to alleviate conditions and diseases that do not yet have an effective treatment, clinical trials or drug trials, as they are often called, are a crucial step. The process of a clinical trial ensures that the drug designed by research scientists (biotechnologists and medical professionals together) are effective and pose minimal side effects.

Volunteering to participate in a clinical trial is not an easy decision and there are many details that one is curious about before committing to this process. To make an informed choice, the basic facts need to be taken into account. For instance, trial durations differ from one drug trial to another and can range from as little as a day to as many as 30 days. There is remuneration and reimbursement involved in the process, and volunteers are generally paid between £500 and £3000 on for taking part in a trial.

How Is the Payment Calculated?

The payment is directly proportionate to the length of time being committed towards the trial, and any travel expense involved in getting to and from CRU is covered with a payment of up to £100. In terms of information, a volunteer also needs to be aware that he or she needs to pass an initial “screening visit” medical check up to make sure that he or she is healthy enough to take part in the clinical trial, and that they are not on any medication that could affect the tenacity of the tests results. No person can participate in more than one trial at a time and you must leave a three month gap between two successive trials.

Can I apply For Any Trial?

Besides these general rules, specific factors are also weighed in depending on the particular trial. For instance, different trials require people from different age groups and sexes, from healthy male volunteers to post-menopausal women. Occasionally, smoking is allowed in certain trials.

What Next?

Once you are well aware of the concept of a drug trial, making a decision to volunteer becomes much easier. It is true that no event in life is risk free, and same goes for clinical trials. However, these trials are heavily regulated, and the safety and well being of the volunteer is always of utmost concern to the doctors. People volunteering to take part in clinical trials is essential to the development of new treatments. Without volunteers these trials could not be carried out, so the data required by the Medicines and Healthcare products regulatory agency in order to license a new treatment would simply not be available.

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This article was written by Nick Davison, of Covance Clinical Trials.