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Clinical Trials > What is an AIDS Clinical Trial? What is an AIDS Clinical Trial? También está disponible en Español Also available in PDF format Table of Contents What is an AIDS clinical trial? What is an AIDS clinical trial protocol? Benefits of AIDS Clinical Trials Risks of AIDS Clinical Trials Questions to ask How to find information about clinical trials on HIV and AIDS What is an AIDS clinical trial? AIDS clinical trials are research studies in which new therapies for AIDS and HIV infection are tested in humans. These studies are conducted by physicians and other health professionals and can help determine the usefulness of experimental drugs and biologicals in treating HIV disease. Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to help find treatments that work. New therapies are tested in humans only after laboratory and animal studies show promising results. In the first clinical trials, the experimental therapies are given to small numbers of people to help determine safe doses. Larger groups of patients may then receive the therapies to help measure effectiveness. The treatments may then be used in even larger studies to compare the new treatment to ones already in use or to help estimate other effects of the product. What is an AIDS clinical trial protocol? Clinical trials are based on a set of rules called a protocol. The protocol describes what types of patients may participate in the clinical trial, schedules of tests and procedures, drugs and dosages, and the length of the study. Each patient participating in a clinical trial must agree to be treated by the rules of the protocol. For most studies, researchers test groups of people who are alike in medical status. For this reason, not everyone interested in participating in a clinical trial is eligible. Benefits of AIDS Clinical Trials
If you are interested in participating in a clinical trial, you may want to ask:
AIDSinfo has been established to provide free, up-to-date information on clinical trials that evaluate experimental drug and biological treatments for adults and children with HIV infection and AIDS. To find out more about AIDS clinical trials, call AIDSinfo toll free. Callers can speak with experienced health specialists who can answer questions concerning the clinical trial’s purpose, location, eligibility requirements, names and telephone numbers of the contact persons, and more. Bilingual specialists are available to talk with Spanish-speaking callers. To contact AIDSinfo toll free from the United States or Canada call: 1-800-HIV-0440 (1-800-448-0440) Fax: 1-301-519-6616 International: 1-301-519-0459 TTY: 1-888-480-3739 E-mail: ContactUs@AIDSinfo.nih.gov Web site: AIDSinfo.nih.gov In addition, the National Library of Medicine offers online computer access to information on AIDS clinical trials (free of charge) through its MEDLINE subscriber service and through the NLM and AIDSinfo World Wide Web sites. For more information about NLM, call: 1-800-638-8480 or 1-301-496-3147. Web site: www.nlm.nih.gov AIDSinfo is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) project sponsored by the following U.S. Federal government agencies: National Institute of Health: Office of AIDS Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Library of Medicine; Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Health Resources and Service Administration; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 12/02 |
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