Clinical trials are important for ensuring that new drugs, treatments and interventions can come to market. Each trial goes through multiple phases. One common question that people have is, why are clinical trial healthy volunteers often a requirement during the early stages of the study?
In this article, we’ll look at clinical trial healthy volunteers, considering the role they play and why these volunteers are used at first.
- What is a ‘healthy volunteer’?
- Why are healthy volunteers used in clinical trials?
- Which phase of clinical trials uses healthy volunteers?
- Who can be a healthy volunteer?
- Is it safe to volunteer for clinical trials?
- Do you get paid to volunteer for clinical trials?
- What next?
Use the links above to skip ahead to the questions you’re most interested in.
What is a ‘healthy volunteer’?
You may be wondering about the healthy volunteer definition. A healthy volunteer plays a role in the initial phases of a clinical trial. It’s someone who is considered healthy in general. They don’t have the disease or condition that’s being studied in the trial. This allows researchers to get a baseline on the safety of the drugs or interventions they are studying. It also helps the medical staff determine the right doses to use in later phases of the trial.
Clinical trials for healthy volunteers can be done as a residential study, where you stay at the facility. In other cases, you’ll be able to stay at home and regularly report in to the facility.
By gathering data during this first phase, researchers can begin to better understand the drug. It forms part of the entire clinical trial. Later on, people with the illness that’s being studied will be recruited for other phases of the trial.
Why are healthy volunteers used in clinical trials?
Healthy volunteers are needed to help researchers understand the safety and effects of drugs. One research paper explains that there are several cases where healthy volunteers aren’t necessarily used in first-in-human trials. Instead, they’re recruited for pharmacokinetic research purposes.
This means that the healthy volunteers give the medical staff a better idea of how substances, such as a new drug they are researching, interact with the human body. These studies consider the way that the substance affects the body throughout the entire duration of exposure. It helps the researchers understand if there are any potential negative effects that the drugs can cause.
Remember that the purpose of a clinical trial is to better understand how a drug affects patients. Even though there’s a large focus on determining how it works for people with a certain disease, the trial first needs to ascertain if there are any side effects in these people that could be considered serious. This is where healthy volunteers come in, as it ensures that a baseline for safety can be established.
Here at FluCamp, healthy volunteers are paramount to our research. Jonathan is an example of a clinical trial participant who has described his experience, and how he joined a clinical trial as these drugs can make a huge difference to people’s lives.
Which phase of clinical trials uses healthy volunteers?
Clinical trials have four phases that they need to go through. During the first phase, healthy volunteers are usually recruited. This is the phase where it becomes important to understand how safe the drug is, how it affects the human body, and to determine the right dose to use.
Once these elements have been established, healthy volunteers are no longer needed. At this point, the researchers know what doses to use and they understand what side effects to look for. They can start to initiate the next phases of the clinical trial. Here, people with the disease that the drug is meant to treat will be recruited.
Who can be a healthy volunteer?
You may want to know if you’re eligible to participate in a clinical trial as a healthy volunteer.
There aren’t universal factors that can be considered to determine your eligibility. This is because every clinical trial focuses on something specific. Age, gender, medical history, fitness, weight and many other factors can be considered when clinical staff members develop the list of criteria they need to look for in volunteers.
It all starts with a screening process. If you’d like to know if you’re eligible, begin by considering the criteria, and if you are a match, then get in touch with FluCamp. At this point, you’ll be called in for screening. This is a process where we need to do some tests, including blood and urine, and a general check-up to determine if you’re a good fit.
Is it safe to volunteer for clinical trials?
The safety of a clinical trial is something that’s often questioned. Even though healthy volunteers make up some of the first people who will be testing the substance that’s being studied, it’s important to understand that there’s a very strict review process that goes into everything.
This means that it’s considered safe for healthy people to volunteer in a clinical trial. Even though the goal is to get a better idea of the safety related to the substance that the trial studies, the researchers have already gone through several steps to ensure that it won’t be dangerous for people who decide to participate. There are also many requirements and regulations from agencies and boards that researchers must follow that ensure they are as safe as possible.
It’s true that you could experience some side effects when you undergo the trial. However, if there are any side effects, they’re usually quite mild. Informed consent and patient empowerment are important elements of clinical trials. This means that you will be explained thoroughly what is involved throughout the trial and you can withdraw at any time.
When looking at reviews for FluCamp, most people don’t even get flu symptoms during these trials.
Mike T says: “I just completed a 2 week quarantine. Quite pleased with how it went – I was lucky enough not to get symptoms, the food was great, and the staff were helpful.”
This is just one example of the many reviews that people have left about their experience at FluCamp.
Do you get paid to volunteer for clinical trials?
There are many benefits to participating in a clinical trial as a healthy volunteer. You get to help the medical industry improve, and you have an opportunity to play a part in ensuring that more effective treatments are made available to patients.
There’s another major benefit that comes with the time you give up to participate in a clinical trial. This is the compensation that companies offer when you’re willing to participate in these trials.
FluCamp offers compensation when you decide to be part of clinical trials. You also get several other monetary benefits, such as the ability to get a travel allowance. Residential programmes also give you a private room, food and an en-suite bathroom. A dedicated team of professionals is always on hand, which also ensures that you can get help whenever you need it.
This is due to the fact that FluCamp offers paid clinical trials for healthy volunteers.
What next?
Healthy volunteers are important for clinical trials. They help to ensure the safety of a drug before it’s tested on people with a specific disease or condition. As a healthy volunteer, you’ll be safe and even get access to compensation for the time you dedicate to the trial. If you want to learn more about FluCamp’s clinical trials, get in touch and a friendly staff member will get back to you. Those interested in participating as a healthy volunteer can also easily apply directly on FluCamp’s website.
