Before a clinical trial is initiated, foreseeable risks and inconveniences should be weighed against the anticipated benefit for the individual trial patient and society. A clinical trial should be initiated and continued only if the anticipated benefits justify the risks. The rights, safety and well-being of the trial patients are the most important considerations and should prevail over interests of science and society.
A clinical trial may bring possible benefits to trial patients. The patient may have the opportunity to access new, potentially promising drug and treatment that are currently only available in a clinical trial setting. If the new studied drug and treatment is working effectively to improve the patient medical condition, then the patient will have benefited from it.
However, there are some possible risks in clinical trials. New drugs are not always better than the standard of care treatment. New drugs may cause unexpected side effects in the trial patients. Sometimes, the new drugs may not work for some patients. The patients may need to have more frequent visits to the doctor with more tests and treatments.
A clinical trial is performed under closed monitoring of a team of research doctors and healthcare professionals to safeguard trial patients’ safety and well-being.