It’s no secret that “Big Pharma” has a lot of critics. However, in the shadow of the Ebola outbreak, suddenly the critics are less vocal than those demanding innovation and speed in developing Ebola prevention or cures. By all accounts, pharmaceutical companies with expertise in infectious diseases are responding quickly (Forbes). Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, an assistant director general at the World Health Organization, stated the pace of testing, and the bypassing of normal protocols to develop the vaccines, is “absolutely unprecedented” (New York Times). According to Forbes, the upshot of the tragic Ebola outbreak is we’ve demonstrated “medical innovation can move forward more quickly than usual IF government agencies are willing to streamline the process-minimizing roadblocks and red tape.”
Hopefully none of us will be asked to participate in clinical trials for Ebola treatments because these clinical trials must occur in the at-risk population. But, there are plenty of diseases and clinical trials to go around and advancing those medicines and technologies requires volunteers. Dr. Joseph Sirven, chairman of neurology at the Mayo Clinic put this very eloquently:
We can’t demand new treatments, assuming someone else has tried them first. If we ever expect to find a cure for any number of horrible diseases, we have to step up. No one chooses to be sick, but sometimes these illnesses choose us. If our time is called to participate in a research study, it’s time to be the hero. Many lives could literally depend on it ( KJZZ.org 7/17/14).
It seems we can “fast track” new treatments but advancing new medicines and technology will also depend on availability of willing patient volunteers. If you’d like to learn more about volunteering for a study, The Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to educating and informing the public and patients about clinical research.
If you are interested in learning more about our studies contact the Clinical Research Center at 541-766-2163 or send an email to research@corvallisclinic.com. Or, follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/corvallisclinicresearch.
– Julie Carrico is Associate Coordinator of The Corvallis Clinic Clinical Research Center
