There are many myths, misconceptions, and mistrust surrounding clinical trials in the medical field, and the answers we wonder about aren’t common knowledge. To help destigmatize clinical trial participation, especially within the Black community, we contacted industry professional Leana Laraque, a Clinical Trial Program Coordinator with over eight years of experience, to get the inside scoop.
What is a Clinical Trial?
A clinical trial is a study that tests a treatment to understand how and if it works and if any implications follow. Clinical trials can include treatment drugs, medical devices, or social experiences like support groups and group therapy. Real people willingly participate in them.
Myth: Clinical trial participants are treated like guinea pigs or lab rats.
Fact: Participating in a clinical trial is 100% at will. Participants are fully aware of every part of a clinical trial and sign consent forms to ensure they are made aware. Even the slightest adjustment to a study requires signing new consent forms. Additionally, participants can choose to drop out of a clinical at any time during the study without financial or other repercussions.
Myth: Clinical trials are only for those who have run out of treatment options.
Fact: Clinical trials aren’t always a last-resort treatment option. Sometimes, it is the first choice, especially if your healthcare provider believes the treatment will be most beneficial to you.
Myth: Patients can’t receive regular care from their primary doctor if they are in a clinical trial.
Fact: You should continue to see your primary care provider (PCP) and let them know that you are participating in a clinical trial. This will help you and the researchers paint a complete picture of how the treatment is (or isn’t working).
Myth: Being in a clinical trial will affect my medical insurance.
Fact: Insurance coverage is disclosed during participation screening. Additional tests or scans needed during clinical trials that are not covered by insurance are often covered by the funding provided for the trial. Further, effective January 2022, some Medicaid plans are required to cover routine patient care costs for those participating in qualifying clinical trials.
Myth: Drugs and treatments from a clinical trial are less effective than those from the doctor’s office.
Fact: “It isn’t known if the drugs or treatments in clinical trials are more effective than the current standard of care, which is why the clinical trials are so important—they allow us to see if new drugs or treatments are more effective than what is already available,” says Laraque.
“There is a chance that they are more effective, as effective, or less effective, and that’s what the clinical trials aim to find out.”
Myth: Participating in a clinical trial will make your information public, and your safety will be compromised.
Fact: “Every effort is made to ensure patient safety while on clinical trials,” affirms Laraque. Each patient is given an identification number so that sensitive information like name, date of birth, etc., is not compromised. Participants are also heavily monitored and have access to a full team of research nurses, doctors, and coordinators to ensure they are healthy and able to continue through the clinical trial.
Myth: Clinical trial results are biased because researchers want their study or treatment approved.
Fact: According to Laraque, “Clinical trials are heavily monitored by the Institutional Review Boards, Data and Safety Monitoring Committees and depending on the study, an organization sponsor. If an ongoing clinical trial shows more harm than benefit to patients, then the study will be stopped even if it is earlier than expected. If patients are experiencing unexpected adverse events, the study will also be stopped. The various monitoring boards that exist in order to conduct research make it very difficult for researchers to prove new treatments work if the data doesn’t support that.”
Participating in a clinical trial may feel foreign. Still, you can rest assured that this process is heavily monitored, patients and the research process are screened, and patient safety is the highest priority. If you can contribute to improving health, wellness, and treatments for your community, ask questions if you are considering getting involved. Think about the difference it can make in your life or the lives of others.
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