What Is A Clinical Research?

Clinical researches in Las Vegas are performed to learn the best ways to treat or, sometimes, to prevent disease. This kind of study tests a new drug, vaccine, or medical device. In the United States, companies are required to prove to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that treatments are both safe and effective before they can be sold in pharmacies.

Clinical researches begin only after results from laboratory and animal studies show that the new, investigational treatment is safe to test and likely to be effective in people. Volunteers in clinical researches are closely monitored to look for both the expected effects of the investigational treatment, and side effects.



Clinical researches are done in stages, which are called phases. If you are thinking about volunteering for a clinical trial, you should know which phase of testing the drug or device is in.

Phase I Clinical Trials

last up to one year and involve 20-100 healthy volunteers. The primary purpose of Phase I studies is to determine the best dosage to be used in further testing, and to measure how quickly the drug is broken down in the body.

Phase II Clinical Trials

usually last one to two years and involve up to several hundred volunteers who have the condition to be treated. The primary purpose of Phase II trials is to find out if the investigational treatment has the desired effects in people, to confirm the best dosage to be used in further testing, and to begin testing for safety.

Phase III Clinical Trials


typically last two to four years and involve several hundred to several thousand volunteers. The main purpose of Phase III trials is to measure how well the investigational treatment works and to determine how much of a drug is needed to achieve the best result. 


Phase IV Clinical Trials


sometimes called “post-marketing” trials, begin after the results of the Phase I – III trials have been given to the FDA for approval. They last two to ten years and involve several hundred to several thousand patients. Phase IV trials are done for many different reasons – to test different dosages, to determine if the treatment works for other diseases or conditions, or to test different ways of taking the treatment.

Comments