About Clinical trials

At Lubbock Digestive Disease Associates, our clinical trial treatment options include the following conditions:

  • Celiac Disease
  • Clostridioides difficile
  • Crohn’s
  • Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)
  • Ulcerative Colitis
Find a Clinical Trial

What Is A Clinical Trial

Clinical trials are medical research studies performed on participants to determine whether new medical approaches, treatments, therapies, or devices are safe and effective. Providers use clinical trials to learn how diseases develop and progress, find new ways to improve treatments, innovate new therapies and preventative measures, and review treatment changes over time. Clinical trials are the beginning steps to market a drug or other therapy.

What are the four phases of clinical trials?

Clinical trials advance through four phases to test a treatment, find the appropriate dosage, and look for side effects.

Phase 1

Designed to test safety and tolerability, Phase 1 typically involves a small number of healthy volunteers.

Phase 2

More participants are involved in Phase 2 to measure the drug’s effectiveness. Additional dosing information may be obtained.

Phase 3

Studies conducted during Phase 3 of a clinical trial will involve large groups of patients or very large groups of participants with a specific disease the trial drug intends to impact. Researchers also compare results among those taking the experimental drug with results from those who are taking a placebo. Drug intervention testing may also be used in combination with other medications or treatments during Phase 3. If, after all these tests prove safe and effective, the FDA approves it for clinical use.

Phase 4

During Phase 4 clinical trials, researchers test the drug or medical device’s effectiveness, safety, and side effects after it has been approved by the FDA. In Phase 4 studies, doctors monitor how people use the drug long-term.

Stages of Clinical Trials

Preclinical

Several Years

Phase 1

Months

Phase 2

Months to Years

Phase 3

Years to Decades

Phase 4

Ongoing

Preclinical

Several Years

Phase 1

Months

Phase 2

Months to Years

Phase 3

Years to Decades

Phase 4

Ongoing

Why Partcipate in a Clinical Trial?

At Gastroenterology Associates of Florida, the health of our patients is our most important concern. With this in mind, we offer access to a wide range of cutting-edge clinical trials for gastrointestinal disorders. Our leading GI specialists are well-versed in the latest treatment options for complex GI diseases and work closely with each individual patient to choose the optimum therapy for them — whether it be an FDA-approved medication or an investigational drug.

Common reasons to participate in a clinical trial include:

  • All other treatment options have failed, and no further treatment options are readily available
  • To obtain access to advanced treatments and protocols for their disease before the protocol becomes available to the general public
  • To help researchers learn more about the impact of the trial protocol to benefit others
  • To obtain access to medications and treatments required for their condition, free of cost throughout the trial

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