Resources

A variety of U.S. government web sites answer questions about clinical trials and provide contacts to specific research projects. These clinical trials are available at ClinicalTrials.gov.

Clinical Trials

• The National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains a research hospital, the NIH Clinical Center, in Bethesda, Maryland. There, scientists translate laboratory discoveries into new and better medical treatments and therapies. The NIH website guides potential participants, their families, and physicians about participating in clinical trials in Bethesda, Maryland.
• Researchmatch.org brings together people interested in clinical trials and researchers looking for volunteers. 

MEDLINEplus Information

• MEDLINEplus is an information service from the National Library of Medicine. It offers useful information about clinical trials.
• The MEDLINEplus Guide outlines more than 9,000 prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Cancer Clinical Trials

• The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the U.S. government's focal point for clinical trials on cancer. Most government agencies that conduct cancer research, such as the Department of Defense or the Veterans Administration, do so in partnership with NCI.
• NCI provides information on clinical trials for cancer, resources for researchers, and more.
• The Veterans Administration (VA) provides information on their clinical trials.

Vision Clinical Trials

• The National Eye Institute (NEI) has information about clinical studies, vision research, and free education resources.

Mental Health Clinical Trials

• The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) answers questions for potential participants in mental health research. 

Information on Bioethics

• The National Library of Medicine (NLM) offers a comprehensive bibliography from 1989 through November 1998, Ethical Issues in Research Involving Human Participants, compiled by the National Library of Medicine.

Information on Medicare Coverage

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides information on the September 19, 2000 final national coverage decision regarding Medicare payments. The document outlines routine costs, and reasonable and necessary items in clinical trials. 

Information on Drugs

• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the U.S. government agency responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of all drugs. After a clinical trial, the agency looks at the evidence to see if a new drug or treatment is safe to approve. It also determines whether it is an improvement over the standard therapy. FDA web sites provide information on how it regulates and approves drugs. It offers an Index to Drug-Specific Information.
• The FDA Electronic Orange Book gives current approved drug products.