clinical trials website

[Guest guest]

this is a story from cnn.com. there is a site listed in the article

(www.clinicaltrails.gov) that i think is a great idea - a way to organize

all the clinical trials going on for hundreds of diseases. the site says if

they are recruiting or not and the info behind the study. i looked up nf2

and found 3 trials! go take a look, it's interesting and encouraging.

-nisha

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New federal Web site lists clinical studies for life-threatening diseases

February 29, 2000

Web posted at: 10:55 a.m. EST (1555 GMT)

From staff reports

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The National Institutes of Health has started a new

online service connecting people with information about the latest clinical

research into cancer, heart disease and other life-threatening illnesses.

The site, which opened Tuesday, tells people how to participate in clinical

trials, which evaluate the safety and effectiveness of new treatments, said

Mehnert, spokesman for NIH’s National Library of Medicine.

The Web site is ClinicalTrials.gov.

ALSO

Clinical trials at a glance

" Through this new database, NIH offers up-to-date information on promising

patient-oriented research on hundreds of diseases and conditions, " said Dr.

Ruth L. Kirschstein, acting NIH director. Of 4,000 trials described in the

database, more than 2,800 are still recruiting participants.

ClinicalTrials.gov -- a response to a 1997 congressional mandate for better

public information on clinical trials -- is a confidential web site and is

free, Mehnert said. There’s no registration and no requirement for personal

identification. People who explore the site will not be contacted by

sponsors of clinical trials or by anyone else, he said.

Tips on enrolling

Learn as much as possible before enrolling in a clinical research study --

write down questions, bring a friend to quiz doctors, or bring a tape

recorder.

Some sample questions:

Why is this research being done? Why do you think it will work? How does it

compare with standard therapy? What other options are there?

What will happen to me during the study? How often will I get treated? What

tests are required? Will I be hospitalized or make repeated clinic visits?

What are the risks? If I am harmed during the study, what treatment will I

be entitled to?

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

For people interested in participating in a clinical study, this

" consumer-friendly " database is the gateway, Mehnert said. Contact

information is given for each trial, including an address, telephone number

and, with some, an email link.

A database called CancerNet, produced by the National Cancer Institute,

provides information on cancer and cancer trials. Those trials are contained

in ClinicalTrials.gov along with information about many other diseases.

ClinicalTrials.gov, operated by the federal government, is designed to be

the largest central listing of clinical studies sponsored by the NIH and

other federal agencies. Later, studies sponsored by pharmaceutical

companies, nonprofit organizations and governments outside the United States

will be added.

One of the search functions in the new database permits identification of

trials by city and state, Mehnert said.

" If we are to continue making the giant strides in diagnosis, treatment and

cure of illness, " said Dr. Lindberg, director of the National Library

of Medicine, " we must have active participation in clinical trials by

well-informed volunteers. ClinicalTrials.gov is a resource that will benefit

trial participants, researchers, health-care professionals and, over time,

the general public. "

The database identifies some clinical trials not yet open for patient

recruitment as well as trials closed to new recruits. Also, for completed

trials, ClinicalTrials.gov sometimes gives links to published results.

CNN Medical Correspondent Eileen O'Connor contributed to this report.

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