How do clinical trials work, and who can participate?

A bioethicist walks us through the complexity of clinical trials, from their core scientific questions to patient selection to FDA approval.

We recently got a call from a SciFri listener in Florida who has autoimmune arthritis. He told us that over the years he’d taken 10 drugs, and each out eventually stopped working. He then tried to enroll in a clinical trial for a new drug for his condition, but he was rejected specifically because he was on his 10th drug.

Today we’re digging into clinical trials and how they work. Are there incentives for drug developers to leave out “problem children”? Or is it more complicated than that? Flora talks with lawyer and bioethicist Holly Fernandez Lynch about what clinical trials are designed to do, how participants are chosen, and where FDA regulation comes into play.

Guest:

Dr. Holly Fernandez Lynch is an associate professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania.

Other episodes you may enjoy:

Why so many studies can’t be replicated
Can ‘Suggestion-Box Science’ Make Public Health More Useful?

Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com.

Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that’s keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-4-SCIFRI

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.