CLINICAL TRIALS

Welcome to the Clinical Trials section of the LIWA website. This section will tell you everything you need to know about Clinical Trials at LIWA, including, what they are, which Trials we have available today and how you can volunteer to get involved.

By volunteering for a clinical trial with LIWA you will be playing your part in the development of new medicines and treatments to help fight Lung Disease as well as maybe even benefiting personally from the treatments undergoing trial.

We are seeking volunteers to participate in clinical trials at our unit based at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Nedlands, WA. We're only 20 minutes from the centre of Perth by bus and we would love to talk to you about our Clinical Trials.

The Clinical Trials Unit is a purpose built unit dedicated to the formal scientific evaluation of the clinical benefits of new respiratory therapies and patient education. The Unit is the public face of LIWA and is where the public involved in research come into contact with the staff of the Institute.

Clinical trials are often also referred to as medical trials or medical research and are focused on the development of medicines.

The development of a new medicine is a lengthy and costly process – all medicines will have previously undergone rigorous testing in the laboratory before progressing onto clinical trials in humans and the development of a new drug typically takes between 10 – 15 years.

A clinical trial is the scientific term used to describe the testing of a new medicine or medical device to evaluate whether the drug or device is effective and safe for people to use. Other terms often used to describe clinical trials are drug trials, medical trials, medical studies or drug research.

Clinical trials are carried out under the strict supervision of fully qualified doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

Over the years we have participated in a number of clinical trials sponsored by a range of Australian and international pharmaceutical and biotech companies in asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, and influenza.

This year, for example, we have participated in clinical trials in cystic fibrosis and alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency which is a first for the Unit. In addition to the extensive range of sponsored clinical studies, the Unit?also plays?a pivotal role in supporting research being undertaken by other Units within the Institute.

Many hundreds of people?are seen in the Clinical Trials Unit every year, including some patients who primarily attend in order for us to improve their health. This is a direct outcome of the Institute’s motto that ‘everyone who comes in contact with the Institute should be healthier and better informed for the experience.’