大象传媒

Clinical trials of vaccines and drugsClinical trials

Clinical trials of vaccines and drugs are carried out to show that they are safe and effective. Tests are randomised, use control groups given placebos, and are carried out double-blind to avoid bias.

Part of Human BiologyNeurobiology and immunology

Clinical trials

Drugs being tested in a laboratory

All and drugs are tested using clinical trials before being licenced for use. The purpose of clinical trials is to allows drugs to be checked for:

  • safety
  • effectiveness
  • dosage

When designing clinical trials there are three main protocols that are used:

  • randomised
  • placebo-controlled
  • double-blind