Ever counted the number of medicines or drugs eaten by you? Have you ever wondered about its safety and effects? Do you know that drugs have to go through a lengthy process of intense testing? Do you know that not only money but it also takes a huge manpower and years together to get one drug into the market?
This Clinical Trials Day we would like to take you back into the history and understand better the modern clinical trials. The first-ever testing or what we call as “Clinical Trial” is dated back to May 20, 1747. On this day, James Lind pioneered a scurvy trial on board the HMS Salisbury. In this trial, one group of crew members were given cider, vinegar, sulfuric acid or seawater, along with their normal rations; while the others were given two oranges or one lemon per day. Lind’s experiment was successful to find a cure for scurvy and his groundbreaking work is celebrated as Clinical Trials Day all over the globe.
However, the process has become difficult with so many regulations and the patients who are becoming ever more informed and demanding. The clinical trial researchers and professionals are always under the pressure of improving the people’s quality of life, find a cure for diseases, and at the same time safeguard subject’s interest and care. Additionally, with new diseases propping up and resistance being developed to existing drugs, clinical trials are a vital element for the existence and survival of human beings. It is very important to understand the relationship between clinical trial professionals and patients. It is time that all of us learn that clinical trial professionals are skilled in conducting study and site activities, aware of the core ethical principles of clinical research, and see that every medical product undergoes a trial or marketed for use by the consumer only if it follows related regulations. In fact, they also ensure that the research subject’s safety, rights, and welfare are protected throughout the clinical trials. Lastly, they are striving every day to keep themselves up-to-date on regulatory developments and stand like a rock to face unforeseen challenges.
Let’s take an opportunity to thank the clinical research professionals and not let this day just pass by. Let’s do our part by creating awareness and acknowledging the professional competence they carry and be grateful to them for adding value to the clinical research workforce that is the need of the hour!