Clinical trials are essential to determine whether new medicines, therapies or treatments are safe and effective. They are the fundamental to improving health.
South Western Sydney is a dynamic centre for clinical trials. At any given time we have over 500 trials open in a broad range of specialty areas across cancer, stroke, diabetes, palliative care, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Clinical trials can evaluate medicines, procedures, medical devices, and other health treatments. They are divided into different stages, called phases. The earlier phase trials look at whether an intervention is safe and effective, whilst later phase trials aim to test whether new treatments are better than existing treatments.
Within South West Sydney we primarily conduct Phase II and Phase III trials.
Phase I clinical trials test a new drug or intervention for the first time, in a small group of people. The aim is to evaluate how safe the medicine is, how it works, and how well tolerated it is. These trials are generally very short, and have a high degree of supervision.
Phase II trials are conducted on a small group of people have a specific medical condition. The aim is to assess whether the intervention is safe and effective. These trials are also closely supervised.
Phase III trials generally involve many thousands of people from around the world. The aim is to show that the intervention is safe and effective for the treatment of a specific medical condition. These trials are monitored both locally and at an international level.
Phase IV These trials are done after the drug or intervention is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). The aim of these trials is to obtain further information about the drug or intervention in widespread clinical practice.
There are several ways to search and find out about clinical trials:
You can search for Australian Clinical Trials here.
Once you find out about a clinical trial, you’ll need to find out if you are eligible to participate. All clinical trials have a set of standards to ensure that there is a consistent group of participants.
If you are thinking of being part of a clinical trial, you should know as much as possible about the trial and your involvement in it. You can discuss your questions with your doctor and with the research team. You may also find some of the answers to your questions in the participant information and consent form.
When you plan to discuss participation
Here are some questions that you may want to ask:
About the trial
Your involvement
Risks
Costs
After the trial
If you think that you or someone you care for might benefit from participating in a clinical trial please speak with your doctor.
You can also find out more about clinical trials by visiting Australian Clinical Trials.
To learn more about sponsoring a Clinical Trial at the Ingham Institute, contact us today.
The partnership between the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) and Ingham Institute is very unique, as it’s the only medical research institute in the LHD.
We also have partnerships with the University of NSW (UNSW) and Western Sydney University (WSU) that brings research and education together.
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