Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies in which new medical treatments are tested in people. "In general, the purpose of clinical trials is to evaluate the safety, effectiveness or best dosage schedule of experimental drugs or medical devices in persons having a specific disease or health condition. New drugs have to be evaluated before they are given to the general population. The safest and most effective way to evaluate drugs is in the format of a clinical trial" (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2000).

Clinical Trials are divided into four phases. Phase I trials are concerned with assessing the safety of a new treatment. Phase II trials test for the treatment's efficacy. Phase III studies involve large-scale testing for a more thorough understanding of the drug's effectiveness, benefits, and the range of possible adverse reactions. Phase IV involves research to continue assessing the treatment after it has been put on the market. For further information explaining clinical trials, visit "What is a Clinical Trial" from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

This page provides links to resources that can assist you in locating clinical trials for particular diseases or conditions. Please be sure to read any disclaimers and background information provided on each site.

Resources for Locating Clinical Trials

General Listings

ClinicalTrials.gov
This consumer-friendly database, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, provides patients and members of the public easy access to information about the location of clinical trials, their design and purpose, criteria for participation and additional disease and treatment information.

CenterWatch Clinical Trials Listing Service
CenterWatch is a Boston-based publishing and information services company providing information services to organizations involved in clinical research around the world. This Web site provides a listing of over 41,000 industry- and government-sponsored clinical trials being conducted internationally. Listings provide trial summaries, patient inclusion and exclusion criteria, and contact information. Other site features include an e-mail notification service, a trial matching service, and drug reference directories.

Research and Clinical Trials Databases at NIH
This site from the Office of Rare Diseases provides links to all clinical trial information sites at the National Institutes of Health, including their own Rare Diseases Clinical Research Data Base. The site also contains a guide to clinical trials for patients, a clinical trials dictionary, and a list of rare diseases.

ClinicalTrials.com
This is a service provided by Pharmaceutical Research Plus, Inc. (PRP) located in Severna Park, Maryland. The Patient Information section provides a database of clinical trials being conducted nationwide, a patient registry for e-mail updates on new clinical trial listings, a glossary, answers to frequently asked questions, and information on FDA approved drugs. This site also provides a database of local community health resources for obtaining referrals, support services, and educational materials regarding specific conditions.

ClinicalStudyResults.org
This database was established by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). It is a repository for clinical study results for U.S.-marketed pharmaceuticals. "It is important to note that these results are being made available to practicing physicians, patients and others for informational purposes only in the interests of full scientific disclosure and are not intended to substitute for the Food and Drug Administration(FDA)-approved labeling."

Trial Finder - from the Johns Hopkins University Clinical Trials Unit
Trial Finder is a database that can be browsed by condition or searched by keyword for clinical trials at Johns Hopkins University. Study information includes an overview of the trial, contact information, trial sponsor, the principle investigator, and a form to complete to receive further study information.

Specific Conditions

cancerTrials
This site from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health provides information and news about clinical trials for cancer patients and their families, people at risk for cancer, and health professionals. cancerTrials offers in-depth information to help people understand clinical trials, information about specific cancers, and resources for finding specific clinical trials.

NCI Center for Cancer Research
This site provides information about clinical trials taking place at the National Cancer Institute on the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The Clinical Cancer Trials for Patients and Families section provides information on how to join a study, answers to frequently asked questions, access to the CancerNet clinical trials database, and NIH cancer links. The Clinical Studies Support Center provides information about these clinical trials through a toll-free information service at 1-800-NCI-1937.

HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials
The page from the National Library of Medicine's Specialized Information Service provides access to AIDSTRIALS, a resource from the AIDS Clinical Trials Information Service. It also provides a link to the Personalized Trial Search service from the University of California, San Francisco's HIVInsite. Additional resources for understanding clinical trials are listed, along with information in Spanish.

The AIDS Clinical Trials Unit at Johns Hopkins University
The AIDS Clinical Trials Unit is a research site funded by the National Institutes of Health. This site offers information on trials studying HIV-1 complications, HIV-1 treatments, immunology, and virology. This site also provides information on the Gary Lambert Research Center, Johns Hopkins Neurology AIDS Clinical Trials, Johns Hopkins Center For Viral Hepatitis, and the HIV Vaccine Trials Network at Johns Hopkins Unit.

Clinical Studies Supported by the National Eye Institute
The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, provides an interactive database offering information on major completed and ongoing clinical trials in vision research. Listings of Studies Currently Recruiting Patients include nationwide studies as well as studies conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda. Trials are listed alphabetically and include statements of purpose, background, study description, patient eligibility, patient recruitment status, current status of the study, clinical and resource centers, contacts, and study results and publications, if available.

Clinical Trials from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
This site provides a listing of NIDDK-funded studies along with study overviews, locations, and links to study Web sites for more information if available.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Clinical Trials Database
This database is a joint project of the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) maintained by the NIA's Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center. Search the database of clinical trials on Alzheimer's disease and dementia currently in progress at centers throughout the U.S., and learn how to participate in drug trials, sign up to receive updates on new trials, and get information on drug development.

Stroke Trials Directory
This is a continuously updated registry of randomized clinical trials. This project is a joint effort of the Internet Stroke Center at Washington University in St. Louis, the American Stroke Association and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Trials can be browsed from an alphabetical list or by 4 categories: Acute Ischemic Trials, Hemorrhagic Stroke Trials, Stroke Prevention Trials, and Stroke Recovery Trials.