International Clinical Trials Day: Why Is It Celebrated?

May 20 has a special place in the calendar to celebrate the International Day of Clinical Trials. This initiative to support the value of clinical research is due to its major contribution to quality of life and life expectancy for people worldwide.

One of the data that has clinical studies as the main reason is the increase in life expectancy of 10 years in Europe over the last 6 decades. At the same time, deaths due to HIV / AIDS have been reduced by about 80%.

The importance of the clinical study lies in reducing the mortality rate from fatal diseases. In this sense, in the following article, we will discover the history of clinical trials, point out the benefits to society, highlight the goals of the journey and find the best way to show your support.

The history of clinical trials

History gives the reason why May 20 was chosen as the International Day for Clinical Trials. Before we talk about the origin, we must be clear that the definition of a clinical trial is the evaluation or experimental study of a substance, product, drug or treatment technique to assess the degree of effectiveness.

Therefore, to go back to the beginning of clinical studies, we must go back to the 18th century, when the British physician James Lind led the way with his discovery. Initially, Lind set himself the goal of finding a cure for scurvy, a condition that ravaged sailors in the British Navy.

So the epic moment came when Lind was appointed surgeon for the frigate HMS Salisbury. After eight weeks, scurvy – about which there was little information at the time – began to affect the crew, triggering the Edinburgh-born surgeons’ ingenuity to test crew members and confirm his theory of the disease’s effect.

Among the measures Lind took to perform his tests were the following:

• First, he divided 12 sick sailors into six pairs.
• He then delivered varied dietary supplements to each individual, using lemon, orange, cider, vinegar and dilute sulfuric acid.
• He then monitored the development of the process.
• He then evaluated the improvement of the patients.
• Finally, he drew important conclusions based on the development of the two patients who had lemon and orange in their diet.

The benefits of clinical trials in society

The benefits of the analysis we have taken a closer look at are very broad. Despite this, in the following list we can observe the most important benefits of clinical trials for society:

• Clinical studies improve life expectancy for the world’s population.
• In addition, they reduce the cost of poorly performed treatments.
• They also reduce the possible side effects of medicines.
• At the same time, they are increasing the options for preventing or curing diseases.
• Finally, they increase knowledge about rare diseases.

The international celebration of clinical trials

The European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network (ECRIN) launched the International Clinical Trials Day Celebration in 2005. After that, they defined May 20 to commemorate the well – known and famous initiative of James Lind in 1747.

In the same way, we find that its general goal is to raise awareness, make visible, recognize and inform about the importance of clinical studies for quality of life and life expectancy for humanity. Along with this, there is a specific goal for 2021 that focuses on disseminating accurate data on adaptive platform trials.

This type of clinical study provides the opportunity to compare different treatments with a single control.

The European Commission believes that this is a viable way to combat epidemics and pandemics. Therefore, on the International Day of Clinical Trials 2021, the goal is set to put an end to doubt as follows:

• What are the underlying goals of a platform trial?
• What parameters should be taken into account in design, statistical plan and data management?
• How should regulatory and ethical issues, as well as patient participation, be addressed?
• What kind of managerial, financial and managerial concerns can arise when we use this test model?

The events

Some of the initiatives for this day are as follows:

• ICTD 2021 Virtual Conference: Platform experiments : Change in treatment, testing and collaboration.
• Virtual conferences of experts showing the phases of the research (basic, preclinical studies and clinical trials).
• Donation campaigns and involvement of various companies for advances in clinical trials.
• Latin America – Europe Symposium on Research Infrastructure (held after the International Day of Clinical Trials, between 15 and 17 June, but with associated objectives).

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How can I participate?

The ways to participate are linked to social networks, through the use of official resources for profiles, posters, photos, messages about support for the work done, and more. Do this with the hashtags # CTD2021 and #clinicaltrialsday.

In addition, there are platforms and recruitment programs for people who intend to take the initiative for volunteer work. The Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) allows certifications and tests to be performed from home.

International Day for Clinical Trials for a Better Life

As a final assessment, one of the best things you can do is stay informed. In this way, you can help spread the knowledge about the importance of clinical trials.

The role of the patients who are part of the trials is also crucial in achieving the desired medical efficiency goals. Overall, everyone’s help is important, so that the International Day of Clinical Trials serves to catalyze and increase alternatives to diseases that continue to harm many people.

Attempts save lives!