Early oncology trials have changed for the better over the last few years thanks to novel investigational agents, innovations in trial design, and changes to regulatory practices. Among other improvements, these changes have helped to perfect the way study designers plan early phase dosing. Dosing strategies in Phase I trials First-in-human trials When an investigational agent is administered...
This is the thirteenth installment of our look at the increasingly high placebo response that is plaguing clinical trials in analgesia and psychiatry. Read the rest of the posts in the series here. Until now, our Placebo Problem series has focused exclusively on the placebo response in adults. Today we turn to another population: kids....
Combat related trauma is significantly affecting U.S. military veterans compared to other military populations across the globe. As many as 20 percent of the U.S. military veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and up to 30 percent of those who fought in the Vietnam War will suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in a...
This is the twelfth installment of our look at the increasingly high placebo response that is plaguing clinical trials in analgesia and psychiatry. Catch up on the rest of the posts in the series here. After focusing exclusively on the placebo effect in this series, today we’re going to take a quick detour, turning to...
Even when things go pretty well, launching a clinical trial is a game of long odds. And when the deck is stacked against you the way it was when we set out to study a drug for sickle cell disease, the difficulties can add up fast. So even we were surprised by the success of...
This is the eleventh installment of our look at the increasingly high placebo response that is plaguing clinical trials in analgesia and psychiatry. Read the rest of the posts in the series here. As we discussed last week, there are so many trial-related details that can influence the magnitude of the placebo response. But there...
While in many ways similar to pharmaceutical drug development, medical device development must work through some unique challenges, including: Variations in complexity — Devices may have multiple different constituent parts, including hardware, software, and medicinal components. Very different purposes — Almost all drugs are therapeutic, while devices may be therapeutic, diagnostic, monitoring, supportive, surgical, and more. Regulations regarding...
This is the tenth installment of our look at the increasingly high placebo response that is plaguing clinical trials in analgesia and psychiatry. Catch up on the other posts in the series here. Over the last two weeks we’ve discussed several specific strategies to reduce the placebo response. One effort that is becoming increasingly popular...
We’ve previously discussed several issues around psoriasis, including the pathogenesis of the condition and the challenges (and solutions!) of conducting psoriasis clinical trials. Today we turn toward three strategies for treating it. Although moisturizer may be an effective solution for some cases of mild psoriasis, many patients require medical intervention to ease their symptoms and...
There is a great deal of variability when it comes to osteoarthritis (OA) clinical trial designs. From the type of drug being studied to the regulatory approach of the target market to the optimal route of administration, assessment selections must be carefully tailored to meet the unique needs of each individual trial. 1. Pick the...