Clinical trials of vaccines and drugsClinical trials
Clinical trials of vaccines and drugs are carried out to show that they are safe and effective. Tests are randomised, use control groups given placebos, and are carried out double-blind to avoid bias.
All vaccineA substance that stimulates the body to produce antibodies to provide immunity against a disease. and drugs are tested using clinical trials before being licenced for use. The purpose of clinical trials is to allows drugs to be checked for:
safety
effectiveness
dosage
When designing clinical trials there are three main protocols that are used: