Understanding
clinical trials.

Learn about clinical trials and how you can be a part of developing new treatments.

Clinical Trial Fundamentals

scientist in lab

Clinical trials are a specific type of clinical research for finding out whether a new medicine is safe and effective in people. By testing new ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating disease, clinical trials help develop new medicines and improve treatment options.

Clinical trials often compare a new medicine with the current standard of care treatment. The standard of care is what doctors agree is the best existing way to treat a condition.

scientists in lab

Clinical research is the study of health and disease in people. The goal of clinical research is to improve our understanding of human health and discover safe, effective medicines.

Through clinical research, scientists and doctors learn more about:

  • health and disease patterns in groups of people
  • the connection between human behavior, health, and disease
  • how medicines, medical devices, surgeries, and ways to prevent disease, such as diet, affect human health.

The data gathered from clinical research can lead to solutions that may improve patients’ lives today and in the future.

doctor and patient

All clinical trials have requirements called eligibility criteria that patients must meet to participate in the trial. Researchers look for people with specific characteristics, such as age, gender, disease type and stage, current medical conditions, and medical history, to join trials.

Having people with similar characteristics in the trial ensures that the results are accurate and reliable. This also helps keep clinical trial participants safe.

How do I decide if I want to participate in a clinical trial?

Before deciding to join a trial, you should consider the following:

checkmark
Potential Benefits of
Joining a Clinical Trial

  • You may help advance medicine by improving the understanding of how new medicines work in people.
  • You may gain access to potential medicines when they’re only available through clinical trials.
  • You will receive excellent care from the research team. You may also receive the new medicine that's being tested.

checkmark
Questions About
Joining a Clinical Trial

  • You may experience side effects and/or the new medicine being developed may not work for you.
  • In some trials you may receive a placebo, which is an inactive medicine that helps the research team better understand the active medicine they are testing.
  • The clinical trial may require more visits and tests than the standard of care for your condition.

Will I still be treated for my condition if I join a clinical trial?

If you join a clinical trial, you will be treated for your condition. You will receive the standard of care or placebo, which is what doctors agree is the best existing way to treat the disease. You may receive either the new medicine that is being tested, or the standard of care, or placebo.

person smiling and holding mug
person smiling by water

In some clinical trials, people who receive the standard treatment alone and/or placebo, and experience a worsening of their condition may be able to receive the new medicine as well. It’s important to note that you are free to leave the trial at any time.

person smiling

Want to learn more about the clinical trials Servier is conducting?

Explore Servier’s clinical trials. ⟶

References

  1. Learn About Studies. National Library of Medicine. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study-basics/learn-about-studies.
    Accessed January 19, 2024.
  2. Clinical Research Versus Medical Treatment. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/patients/clinical-trials-what-patients-need-know/clinical-research-versus-medical-treatment.
    Accessed January 19, 2024.
  3. The Basics. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nih.gov/health-information/nih-clinical-research-trials-you/basics.
    Accessed January 19, 2024.
  4. Deciding Whether to Be Part of a Clinical Trial. American Cancer Society. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/making-treatment-decisions/clinical-trials/what-you-need-to-know/who-does-clinical-trials.html.
    Accessed January 19, 2024.
  5. Basics About Clinical Trials. U.S. Food & Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/patients/clinical-trials-what-patients-need-know/basics-about-clinical-trials.
    Accessed January 19, 2024.
  6. Yeh, J. Gupta, S., Patel, S. et al. Trends in the crossover of patients in phase III oncology clinical trials in the USA. ecancer 14, 1142 (2020). https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2020.1142.

*Disclaimer: This website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis and treatment.