Clinical trial of vaccines and drugs

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

Vaccines and drugs are subjected to clinical trials to establish their safety and effectiveness before being licensed for use.

Question 2

Randomised

Answer 2

Subjects in clinical trials are divided into groups in a randomised way to reduce bias in the distribution of characteristics such as age and gender.

Answer: All individuals have an equal
chance of being in either group.

Question 3

Double Blind Trial

Answer 3

In a double-blind trial neither the subjects nor the researchers know which group subjects are in to prevent biased interpretation of the results.

Question 4

Placebo

Answer 4

One group of subjects receives the vaccine or drug while the second group receives a placebo-control to ensure valid comparisons.

Question 5

The importance of group size in reducing experimental error and establishing statistical significance.

Answer 5

At the end of the trial, results from the two groups, which must be of a suitable size to reduce the magnitude of experimental error, are compared to determine whether there are any statistically significant differences between the groups.