Antidote - How Does Drug Development Work in the United States? By Nancy Ryerson


Continuing our work as partner with Antidote, we wanted to share this infographic they have just produced to explain the drug development process. This can be confusing for patients, and every month 4,400 people search “clinical trial phases” on Google for more information. This new graphic should make things easier (Currently U.S focussed)


In the United States, new treatments can’t be approved for patients until they’ve undergone testing in clinical trials. Currently, there are 92 Crohn’s disease studies in the U.S. looking for a total of 69,087 volunteers.

That’s a lot of volunteers – and options for those living with Crohn’s who are interested in taking part.

Within those results, there are different kinds of trials at varying research phases. The clinical trial phase can offer important information about the trial and what you can expect from volunteering.


Currently, there are 92 Crohn’s disease studies in the U.S. looking for a total of 69,087 volunteers.

Earlier-stage clinical trials, for example, may require fewer than 100 volunteers and last for about a year. Trials that research outcomes after a treatment has already been approved, in contrast, may need thousands of volunteers and last for several years. For example, one study looking for 15,000 volunteers is investigating how patients respond to treatments that have already been approved and will track results in a registry.

Before the treatments even reach a stage that involves patient volunteers, they’ve already been through testing in the lab, and may have undergone human testing with healthy volunteers.


For example, one study looking for 15,000 volunteers is investigating how patients respond to treatments that have already been approved and will track results in a registry.

Basically, as a potential new treatment progresses through the phases of clinical trials, more and more patients are needed so researchers can understand how well the treatment works, while measuring safety and side effects, too.

Antidote put together this handy infographic to help patients understand how the phases of clinical trials work at a glance. If you’re interested in finding a Crohn’s trial in your area, use the Give Crohn’s a Slap search tool on the side of this blog post to find one you may be right for.

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Words: Matt Strutt 
Images & Video: Antidote
Contributors: Aaron Darveniza

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