The Women's Clinic | Clinical Trials

Clinical Trials
http://www.sarahcannonresearch.com/

The Women’s Clinic of Northern Colorado partnered with the Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) in January 2010 to assist in research regarding women’s health studies because of our interest in providing real solutions to women in therapeutic areas. Under the supervision of Dr. Brad Stern, we select certain research studies and participate by reaching out to patients with specified disorders and issues that women encounter each day. Dr. Stern has been working with SCRI since 2004, and each WCNC physician plays a key role with these studies. Together, the Women’s Clinic of Northern Colorado and SCRI work to provide the best and latest treatment options for patients.

The Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) is a strategic research organization focusing on advancing therapies and accelerating drug development. It is one of the largest clinical research programs in the nation, conducting community-based clinical trials through affiliations with a network of more than 450 physicians in 24 states. Additionally, SCRI offers management, regulatory and other research support services to drug development sponsors and strategic investigator sites across the country.

What you need to know: a clinical trial is a carefully designed test of medicines and treatment options under the supervision of a physician and other research professionals. These trials can be used to test new medications not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or they can test marketed medications for new diseases or doses already approved by the FDA. Before enrolling in a clinical trial, a detailed description of the study as well as any possible risks and benefits of participating will be discussed. An informed consent will be provided for each patient participating, explaining the risks, benefits, and procedures during the trial. The patient will be followed through the clinical trial until completion specified by the pharmaceutical company; this can be weeks or years of participation. A patient, however, can leave the clinical trial at any time. After the study is complete, the pharmaceutical company may or may not continue to provide the study medication to patients who are responding well. However, all of the information collected is analyzed to help determine the medication’s safety, effectiveness, and side effects. Then the medication and analysis is sent in an application to the FDA to be approved as a new drug.

As a participant in a clinical trial, every patient can help in the possible development of a new medicine or treatment that may offer better care or a cure for life-threatening and chronic diseases.