Are there risks involved in participation?

Safety for you as a participant in clinical trials

The medicines and treatment methods studied in clinical trials have always first been investigated in other contexts.

Before a medicine is given to humans at all, a series of animal tests are conducted to assess its safety and effects. Since humans differ from many animals, it cannot, of course, be guaranteed that they will react in exactly the same way as the test animals. For example, allergies are uncommon among animals. 

The first human studies are conducted on a small number of healthy volunteers for a short period. After that, the effects are studied in larger patient groups. At each new step, both companies and authorities conduct a thorough assessment of all available results before proceeding. Throughout all clinical trials, any potential side effects are monitored by both companies and authorities according to a strictly defined and controlled system. 

All of this combined means that the risk of participating in a clinical trial is minimal.