Clinical research studies, also called clinical trials, look at an investigational medication or medical device to see if it is safe, how it works in the body, and if it works to treat a specific disease. Clinical research studies are conducted by doctors who are responsible for the study participants’ study-related care.
In most countries, the regulatory health authority, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the European Union, requires that several phases of clinical research be performed to better understand the efficacy and safety of new investigational medications and certain medical devices.
Clinical research studies must be approved by an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee (EC). An IRB/EC is a group that is responsible for securing the rights and well-being of study participants. In addition, every study participant is monitored with study-related medical tests and exams before, during, and sometimes even after the study.