Why Consider Participating in a Clinical Trial?
Clinical trials are the most effective way of evaluating the success of new treatment options for patients with severe disease like pulmonary fibrosis. The close monitoring of each individual’s response to the treatments in a controlled, clinical environment, allows researchers to gather comprehensive information about people at all different stages of the disease, whilst controlling for other differentiating factors such as age and lifestyle choices.
As pulmonary fibrosis is a less common disease, it is vital that more patients with pulmonary fibrosis consider participation in a clinical trial. The success of clinical trials has been a major factor in the development of treatment options for people with pulmonary fibrosis.
By participating in a clinical trial, you have the chance to help improve your quality of life and that of people who will be affected by pulmonary fibrosis in the future.
However, it is important to remember that clinical trials are investigational. There is no guarantee that participating in a trial will provide a medical benefit and in fact there may be risks involved. However, there may be other potential benefits to participation that include:
- Contributing to medical research
- Clinical trial-related care and monitoring
- Potential access to an investigational drug
We encourage anyone who is considering participating in a clinical trial or has any questions about participating, to discuss with their local healthcare team.