Find Clinical Trial

Finding clinical trials can be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to look or who to trust. Websites like Power and ClinicalTrials.gov enable you to find clinical trials based on your location, disorder, and eligibility criteria. Moreover, they offer all regulatory and legal information, so you know they are reliable. Aside from this, you can find clinical trials in multiple ways if only you know how to utilize search engines.

This article will provide a brief overview of the importance of clinical trials and how to find clinical studies near me.

Why Enroll in a Clinical Trial? What are the Potential Benefits?

As of November 2022, the number of registered clinical studies in non-U.S. areas was around 228 thousand; in the U.S., the number was over 136 thousand.[¹] Thus, thousands of clinical trials are registered annually, and participants are required to bring about measurable results. Clinical trials offer a data-centric approach to preventing, detecting, and finding new treatments and drugs for specific disorders. But yes, clinical trials don’t guarantee successful outcomes. So, why should you enroll?

One of the major benefits of enrolling in a clinical trial is that you get access to professional medical care and health checkups as part of your treatment, which would have been costly otherwise. If there are no available treatments for your condition and the trial is successful, you have access to novel treatment before it launches in the market. Moreover, you play an active part in your health. Researchers also encourage healthy individuals to find clinical trial and take part to contribute to the advancement of science and help others.[²]

What are the 4 Types of Clinical Trials?

Clinical trials are comprehensive studies that go through 4 phases, although some clinical trials also require a pre-clinical phase, while others don’t progress to phase IV. This can differ based on the organization, the disease, and the desired outcome. Some requirements and aspects of different phases may overlap, but there are distinct differences, which we will discuss below and help find clinical trial relevant to your condition.[³]

• Clinical trial phase I - also known as dose-escalation studies, is designed to study the effect of a new treatment/drug, the best way of administration, and the maximum tolerable dosage (MTD) on 20-100 volunteers (typically healthy individuals).
• Clinical trial phase II, known as dose-finding studies, is designed to test the new treatment/drug on a larger population (around 100-300 participants) and identify the most successful dose (MSD).
• Clinical trial phase III - also known as pivotal studies, involves monitoring the side effects on around a hundred to thousand participants. The study is conducted at multiple locations and can last up to 4 years. If results are favorable, a New Drug Application (NDA) is filed with the FDA.
• Clinical trial phase IV - also known as post-marketing surveillance studies, involves long-term safety monitoring of the drug in real-world conditions. The drug is made available to the general public and tested on different metrics.

Paid Clinical Trials

One of the questions potential participants may ask is, "are clinical trials free?” This is a reasonable query as you need to know about the potential financial costs and if your insurance can cover them. Mostly, clinical trials are paid for and funded by the government or sponsors. The funds will cover the new treatment/drug being tested and additional healthcare costs.

Some paid clinical trials offer monetary compensation to their volunteers for participation or travel expenditures, but many clinical trials do not provide explicit monetary compensation. That said, monetary gain is not the correct reason to enroll in a clinical trial!”[⁴]

Paid clinical trials also include parking costs, childcare, loss of income, meals, and more. This entices volunteers to participate and not worry about out-of-pocket expenses. However, if you find clinical trial that is paid, don’t blindly register. First, inquire about any potential hidden costs, compensation types, and insurance coverage.

Finding Information About Clinical Trials

The best way to find clinical trials is online; multiple sites offer current and completed research information. Among them, the long-standing go-to for finding information about clinical trials is ClinicalTrials.gov.

Although useful, the website itself is outdated and full of complex information, as it was primarily designed for researchers rather than patients. Thus, it is hard to navigate and difficult to process information. But luckily, newer and improved solutions have been designed to help patients find recruiting clinical trials.

Let’s take a look at some of the fastest and easiest platforms that offer information about recruiting clinical studies.

How Do I Find Clinical Trials?

This is another question that potential participants ask themselves or their healthcare providers. Suppose you are looking to find clinical trial for a specific condition; you can consult your physician, as they can refer you to an ongoing study since most clinical trials are conducted in hospitals or research centers and sponsored by CROs. However, networking is limited. You can also search for clinical studies if you are part of a patient advocacy group or by visiting a research hospital for specific conditions.

Moreover, you can also come across clinical studies through social media advertisements or even an ad at the bus stop. But all of this doesn’t guarantee validating information. Thus, if you haven’t been informed or referred to a medical research study, you can find one yourself easily online.

In the broadest sense, you can simply open your search engine and type in keywords for your specific condition, location, and preferences when finding a clinical trial. You can also type in the research center, if you know of one, and potentially narrow down the links to relevant websites. Searches could look something like the following hypothetical examples:

• “Paid clinical trials near me”
• “Clinical studies near me”
• “Free ivf clinical trials 2022”
• “Clinical trials Boston”
• “Paid clinical trials for smokers 2022”
• “Las Vegas clinical trials”

A major drawback of this method is that you must sort through multiple paid/sponsored pages and websites, making finding an authentic and reliable clinical trial difficult. Thus, we recommended using any one of the dedicated tools for finding clinical trials discussed below.

5 Best Places to Find Clinical Trials Online

The following platforms offer an easy way for patients to find clinical trial which they could be a match for. Here are our top 5 suggestions, listed in order of ease of use and patient friendliness:

• www.withpower.com: Power is a patient-centric platform designed to help patients find clinical trials through easy navigation and a user-friendly interface. You can find a relevant clinical trial by answering a few questions regarding eligibility criteria. You can also narrow down your searches by adding conditions like city or illness. Once you find a trial that is a good fit, you can contact the study sponsor/site directly through Power’s detailed information page for each trial.
• www.clinicaltrials.gov: this website is a resource provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It gathers information about clinical trials in around 180 countries. However, the website interface is outdated, clunky, and difficult to navigate. Moreover, it isn’t patient-friendly, and some of the studies listed are either completed or not in the recruiting phase. Thus, it is a good starting point but not ideal for finding a relevant clinical trial. Tip: For a more intuitive search, head over to www.trialstoday.org, which makes it somewhat easier to search through the clinicaltrials.gov database of trials.
• www.antidote.me/clinical-trial-search: organized by Antidote, a digital patient engagement organization, this clinical trial database is helpful in refining and narrowing down your searches and making it easier for patients to connect to clinical trials. All you have to do is fill in your basic personal and medical information and find clinical trials closest or most relevant to you.
• www.ciscrp.org/services/search-clinical-trials/: CISCRP, the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation, is a non-profit organization. Their primary focus is on increasing awareness regarding clinical trial participation. They offer a free “Search Clinical Trials” tool where patients are required to fill out a form containing their basic medical information. Then, CISCRP identifies clinical trials relevant to your criteria and sends you a reply within 48 hours. The patient then contacts the study team and gathers more information. It works a little differently than other search platforms and can be time-consuming since you have to do further research yourself.
• www.centerwatch.com/clinical-trials/listings/: CenterWatch provides information and services to clinical trial sponsors and researchers. They also provide an easy search tool where you can browse clinical trials based on medical conditions, therapeutic areas, treatment, and location. For more information, you can contact the study sponsors and check eligibility.

Collecting More Information: Questions to Ask About the Clinical Trial Before Enrolling

If you find clinical trial of interest, gather more information before enrolling. For instance, how long will the trial last? How much do you have to travel? Who will cover the medical costs? What are the benefits and the potential side effects? This information is critical for the decision-making process and helps you prepare for the grueling months ahead. If you cannot find all this information online, we recommend reaching out to the study sponsors and gathering as much data as possible. Researchers understand the need to feel comfortable and in control when volunteering to participate and are more than willing to answer your questions.

Below is a list of questions that we suggest making sure you can answer before proceeding to enroll in a study:

1. How long does the trial last?

Here you can ask about the study duration and timeline. This depends on the research type and clinical trial phases involved. Some studies can last up to 4-5 years; thus, ensure that you are ready to make that commitment. Even though patients can opt out of clinical trials anytime they want, it results in a major loss of data and inadequate outcomes.

2. Study visits - what kinds of tests/treatments are involved, and what will I be expected to do? How will this clinical trial affect my daily life?

Do I have to travel? How many visits do I have to make to the research center? Collect information and insight regarding the study design and how it will impact your routine. Ensure you are aware of and comfortable with the treatment/drug being tested, and set clear guidelines for what you can and cannot do. Don’t push yourself to anything you are uncomfortable with.

3. What are the potential risks involved?

Get clear information about all the potential risks involved and how adverse effects can impact your life in the long term.

4. Placebos, randomization, and groups - What treatment will I receive?

Clinical trials are of different types. Some compare traditional treatment to new treatment, while others compare it against placebos. Some group participants based on specific criteria, while others test each patient individually. By gathering such information, you would know what you are getting into and what to expect.

Conclusions

We hope you now have a clear insight into the different ways to find clinical trials and gather authentic and reliable information. These dedicated search tools offer detailed information about clinical trials. However, we would suggest doing your own research and gathering as much information as possible before enrolling, so you are comfortable with the process and can focus on the study.