How to Access Clinical Trials for Free Care

Clinical trials are critical aspects of scientific research. By involving human participants in medical studies, researchers are able to find out if new treatments are safe and effective. Clinical trials can test new drugs or drug combinations and new surgical procedures or devices, as well as new ways of making diagnoses or using existing treatments. Clinical trials play a crucial role in developing vaccines — including these for the virus that causes COVID-19.

Beyond strictly medical conditions, clinical trials also explore anti-aging treatments and other interventions that can improve quality of life.

Where can you find clinical trials to join?

There are many ways to find out about clinical trials. If you are being treated for a particular health condition, such as diabetes, you can ask your provider about current research studies. Condition-focused advocacy groups, such as the National Kidney Foundation, maintain specific condition-based lists of clinical trials. COVID-19 clinical trials remain ongoing. Other general sources include:

• ClinicalTrials.gov: This searchable database includes more than 300,000 studies in every U.S. state and more than 200 countries. An advanced search option allows you to look for clinical trials by condition, location, and other factors.

• National Institutes of Health (NIH): The NIH Clinical Center has a search tool for clinical research conducted at its campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The CDC maintains information about research studies and links to condition-based information, such as for epilepsy, and clinical trials conducted by the National Cancer Institute.

• ResearchMatch: NIH funds ResearchMatch.org as a free resource to connect people to studies and researchers to willing participants. Start with the volunteer agreement to explore your options or sign up.

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What are the different phases of clinical research?

Clinical trials usually involve a four-step research process, which often follows extensive preliminary work or sometimes testing on animals.

The phases involving humans are:

• Phase I: An experimental drug, device, or treatment is evaluated in a small group of people to test safety, reveal side effects, and determine the correct dosage.

•  Phase II: The experimental drug, device, or treatment is given to a larger group to test effectiveness and safety.

• Phase III: The number of people participating now is even larger. Researchers confirm effectiveness, monitor side effects, and make comparisons to commonly used treatments.

• Phase IV: This “post-market” testing occurs after a drug, device, or treatment’s approval in a larger, more diverse population over a longer period of time.

How can you get approved to take part in a clinical trial?

Every study has its own guidelines for eligible participants. Some clinical trials seek people with a specific illness or condition, while others want healthy volunteers. Factors that allow you to qualify are called “inclusion criteria,” and “exclusion criteria” are factors that will disqualify you from participation.

How safe are clinical trials?

Every clinical trial must have a protocol. These strict rules are designed to answer questions about the health and safety of participants and explain exactly what will happen to you. Your participation requires informed consent. If you decide to enroll in the clinical trial, you must sign the informed-consent document. You are free to leave the study at any time.

Some studies must be reviewed, approved, and monitored by an institutional review board, or IRB. They include clinical trials the federal government is conducting or supporting, and research involving a drug, biological product, or medical device regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The IRB includes physicians, researchers, and community members who ensure the study is ethical and participants are protected. The IRB also reviews informed-consent documents.

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If the federal government is conducting or supporting a clinical trial, or if the research involves a drug, biological product, or medical device regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the study must be reviewed, approved, and monitored by an institutional review board, or IRB.

It’s important to note that clinical trials have risks. You may be at greater risk in a clinical trial that’s testing something new or in an earlier-phase trial where the study involves a small group of people.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the potential downsides of taking part in a clinical trial include:

• Side effects or discomfort

• Outcomes that are ineffective or no better than standard treatment

• No experimental treatment at all, if you are part of the control group, which receives the standard treatment or placebo (with no therapeutic value). The treatment group receives the new drug, device, or intervention

• Inconvenience for the time spent in medical appointments or if you must travel a great distance

Is there a way to be automatically matched to relevant clinical trials?

Clinical trials are voluntary, so the first step is to express an interest in participation. Your provider may be able to connect you to a relevant clinical trial. On your own, ResearchMatch is a way to find a study for which you qualify.

How can you find paid clinical trials?

Some clinical trials will compensate you for participation. Others reimburse your expenses related to the study. Often, paid studies will advertise. In the Clinicaltrials.gov advanced search, entering “paid” in the “other terms” query box can help you find studies that offer compensation.

There are times, such as during cancer treatment, that health insurance plans must cover routine healthcare costs during your clinical trial. Routine costs include doctor visits, diagnostic tests, and hospital stays.

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Written by:

Roxanne Nelson, RN, BSN

Roxanne Nelson, RN, BSN, is a registered nurse whose nursing career primarily focused on newborn and pediatric intensive care. As a health and medical writer, her work has appeared in a wide range of consumer publications and professional journals including Scientific American, The Lancet, the American Journal of Nursing, Prevention, and The Washington Post.

Edited by:

Cindy George, MPH

Cindy George is the senior personal finance editor at GoodRx. She is an endlessly curious health journalist and digital storyteller.

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