San Antonio Kidney Disease Clinical Research Trials

Clinical Trials at South Texas Renal Care Group

At South Texas Renal Care Group, we are committed to staying at the forefront of kidney care, and bringing our patients the most effective new therapies to manage kidney disease. One of the ways we do this is by actively participating in clinical research trials.

What is a clinical trial?

A clinical trial or clinical study evaluates how well a new medicine or medical device works, and how safe it is. Many governments require clinical trials in several phases before approving a new medicine or medical device.

What are the phases of a clinical trial?

Before any medication or medical device can be approved for use by the public, it must go through three phases of clinical research.

Phase I – The device or medication is given to a small group of healthy volunteers, and researchers monitor how the human body reacts.

Phase II – The device or medication is given to a small group of people with the condition that it is designed to treat. During this phase, researchers begin to evaluate safety and effectiveness, as well as what dose is appropriate (for medications).

Phase III – Researchers test the safety and effectiveness of the medication or device using a larger group of participants. During this phase, the study medication or device may be compared with another medication or device that has already been approved to treat the same condition.

Why participate in a clinical study?

People take part in clinical studies for many reasons. For example:

• They know that information from the study may help future patients
• They want to help advance medical science
• They want to receive the extra care that medical staff in the study will provide

People who take part in a clinical study are volunteers—they can quit at any time. There is no penalty, and they do not lose medical benefits that are otherwise theirs.

At South Texas Renal Care Group, we have a full-service Clinical Trials Center with a team of highly experienced staff and nurses, and usually have several studies underway at any given time.