Drug trials in healthy volunteers

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• Format Lessons, Videos
• Language/s English
• Target Audience Schools
• EBM Stage 0 - Why EBM?
• Duration <5 mins
• Difficulty Introductory

Key Concepts addressed

• 2-1c Comparison groups should be treated equally
• 2-1d People should not know which treatment they get
• 1-2e Comparisons are needed to identify treatment effects

Details

This is in the BBC ‘Bitesize’ series ‘Class Clips’, for Science 2-GCSE. A doctor working in a Contract Research Organisation – Richmond Pharmacology –- describes a clinical trial of a drug that is already in use to treat osteoporosis. No mention of the method of treatment allocation. Good description of the need to use a placebo to achieve blinding. Mentions the importance of publishing the results of the study, even if they are disappointing to the sponsoring drug manufacturer.

Watch the video here