Modern medicine has made amazing advances. Yet many diseases and injuries remain insurable. As a result, people suffering and dying from incurable disorders look to stem cell-based clinical trials for help. Every drug, every therapy approved in the US had to first go through a clinical trial to prove that treatments were both safe and effective in people. If you're thinking about taking part in a clinical trial, it can be difficult finding one that is right for you. So, before you make any decision consider the following four questions:
Question 1
Where can I find a clinical trial for my condition? Besides talking to your doctor, a great place to look is clinical trials.gov. You can search for trials related to your condition. Search results let you know if you might be eligible for a trial. You can also find contact info so that you or your doctor can talk to someone for more details.
Question 2
What are my chances of being cured in any clinical trial? It's important to have realistic expectations. Keep in mind that: early stage or phase 1 trials test just a small dose of the therapy to make sure it's safe. But it's often too low to have any major benefit or, in some cases, any benefit at all. Also, in later phase 2 and 3 trials some people don't get the actual therapy. Instead, they receive a placebo or blank therapy for comparison purposes. And even if you get the actual treatment, it may not work for you.
Question 3
How much does it cost to be in a clinical trial? Usually the company or Institute running the clinical trial covers the cost of the therapy. You might have to pay for your own travel or for routine medical care, that isn't funded by the clinical trial, but be very skeptical about experimental treatments that expect the patient to pay in full.
Question 4
How do I know a clinical trial will be safe? In the US, the Food and Drug Administration the FDA regulates medical therapies to make sure that FDA-approved clinical trials are safe as possible. Still, every clinical trial carries some risk regardless of whether or not it's FDA approved, so be wary of any clinic claiming that their stem-cell treatment is risk-free. It's scary, but true that many for-profit clinics in the US and abroad offer treatments that are not approved by the FDA. Consenting to these treatments can do more harm than good.
Okay, that's just the tip of the iceberg for deciding if a particular clinical trial is right for you. For more information, visit these websites:
www.cirm.ca.gov/clinicaltrials
And remember, being part of a clinical trial is a big undertaking. But it's a critical step for getting promising stem cell therapies approved for patients with unmet medical needs.