Clinical trials of vaccines and drugs Flashcards
What does randomised mean
it is down to chance which group subjects are placed in
Why is there a randomised protocol in clinical trials
to reduce bias in the distribution of characteristics
Explain double blind
neither the subject in the trial nor the researcher know whether the subject has been given the drug or the placebo
Why is double blind protocol important
to prevent biased interpretation of results
Explain placebo-controlled
one group receives a tablet with the drug while the other group gets a tablet without the drug
the placebo group is the control group
Why is it important to have a large group size
to reduce experimental errors.
this allows researchers to determine whether the results from the 2 groups are statistically significant
Some pathogens can change their antigens. What name is given to this process
antigenic variation
