Drug Trials

Question 1

What did William Withering discover?

Answer 1

Digitalis can be used to treat individuals

Question 2

How did he discover this?

Answer 2

He observed a patient recovering from heart failure
And made an extract of digitalis from foxglove
He mad “digitalis soups” that contained different concentrations of digitalis and gave them to patients
He experimented to see which concentration could treat the patient without poisoning them
He discovered the right dosage of digitalis and said that it could be sued to treat patients with heart failure

Question 3

What are the 4 phases of drug trials?

Answer 3

Phase 1 test on small group of people to see the safety of the drug and it’s toxicity and how these change when the dosage increases/decreases
Phase 2 involve more people and test the efficacy of the drug usually are double blind trials
Phase 3 similar to pages 2 but on a larger scale and can go on for years and see what the rarer side effects are
Phase 4 drugs are tested on people even after they have been approved to allow companies to see how effective they’ll be

Question 4

When is the placebo usually done?

Answer 4

During phase 2

Question 5

What is a placebo?

Answer 5

It looks exactly like the drug but has no active ingredients in it

Question 6

What does the placebo cause the patient to do?

Answer 6

Show improvements to their condition because they believe they are receiving the drug

Question 7

What’s a double blind trial?

Answer 7

Neither the patients or researchers know who has the drug and how has the placebo

Question 8

What does a double blind trial reduce?

Answer 8

Biasdness

Question 9

Which order are drugs tested on/who

Answer 9

1. Human cells/tissues
2. Animals
3. Healthy individuals
4. Unhealthy individuals (patients with the condition/disease