What are the Phases of Drug Development?
Clinical trials assess the safety and effectiveness of drugs. Some trials test entirely new drugs. Others evaluate whether older drugs should have their recommended dosages adjusted, or if they can be used to fight different diseases. • Phase I trials assess whether a given drug can be consumed safely by humans. • Phase II ** trials determine if a drug is effective for its stated purpose. • Phase III ** trials take drugs that show promising results in Phase II, and administer them to larger numbers of people to confirm the results. • Phase IV, or post marketing trials, are also done on brand name medication for various reasons. Additional info on clinical trials may be found at www.clinicaltrials.org or www.clinicaltrials.gov. ** In Phase II and III trials study medications are frequently compared to a placebo or a drug of a similar compound.
