Getting involved in a clinical trial can be a very positive experience. It allows you to take control of your own healthcare, and can mean you will get earlier access to new treatments, before they become available to others. You will also be making a very important contribution to medical research in general and to the development of improved treatments for everyone with Cystic Fibrosis. Without clinical trials, many of the key drugs used to treat Cystic Fibrosis could never have been developed.

Are there any risks?
Clinical trials are carefully controlled and regulated and organised in such a way that risk to participants is minimised. Serious side effects are very rare and clinical trials are now safer than ever, with the safety of clinical trial participants always of the utmost importance. Every trial has an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), and if anything was to happen during a study such as an adverse reaction, this must immediately be reported to the DSMB, which would stop the trial if there was any doubt about the safety of the treatment.

Of course, being involved in a clinical trial does involve some inconvenience to the those taking part, but researchers do their best to ensure that participants are inconvenienced as little as possible.

Informed consent
When considering whether to take part in a clinical trial, it is important that you understand fully what the experience is likely to involve and have all of the information you need to help you make the decision. This is called 'informed consent'. If you do decide to take part in a clinical trial, you will be asked to sign a form that shows you understand what the trial will involve and any risks.

f you are interested in participating in a clinical trial, you should discuss this with your CF team. There is never any obligation for you to take part in a clinical trial, and you should never feel any pressure to do so. Whether or not you agree to take part in a clinical trial will have no impact on the care you receive from your CF Centre or Clinic. You are also free to withdraw from a clinical trial at any point, and this will not affect your treatment either.

Find out about current clinical trials in the UK.