RAY ENGEBRETSEN CLINICAL
INVESTIGATIONS UNIT
What is a clinical
investigation?
A clinical investigation is carefully
designed to test the effects of a medication, medical treatment
or devices in a group of volunteers. Clinical investigations
are an important step in making new medications available.
They measure the drug's ability to treat a condition, its
safety and its possible side effects.
This information helps doctors and the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) decide if a drug is safe and
effective for patients. The FDA requires that a drug
be proven safe and effective for an illness or disease before
it is made widely available to physicians and patients.
During an individual's participation in a
clinical investigation, he or she will see doctors and nurses
frequently. In many clinical investigations, participants
may receive either the drug being studied or placebo.
Investigation-related physical examinations, laboratory tests
and medication are usually provided at no cost throughout
the trial.
Study to Help the AIDS Research Effort (SHARE)
Whitman-Walker Clinic is proud to be a member
of SHARE, a branch of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. MACS
is an ongoing cohort study of HIV/AIDS in gay and bisexual
men. In response to the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic,
MACS first recruited participants in 1984, with the WWC site
opening in 2002. A diverse group of HIV-positive and HIV-negative
men visit WWC twice a year to provide invaluable information
on the natural history of HIV disease, the impact of treatment
on disease progression, the role of host and viral genetic
factors, the impact of opportunistic infections and co-infections,
and identification of psychosocial and behavioral risk factors.
Today, MACS participants and investigators have contributed
to a broad range of important findings in over 1,100 published
articles.
MACS/SHARE has opened enrollment to men who
have become HIV-positive within the last year. With documentation
of recent seroconversion, a potential participant can meet
with our staff and determine if he would like to join the
study. Please contact us with any questions about the study:
Justin Schmandt - Research Specialist
202-745-6157, jschmandt wwc.org
Miguel Iracheta - Research Specialist
202-745-6137, miracheta wwc.org
Where can I get more information?
The Clinical Investigations department
is located in the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, at 1701
14th St., NW. For more information, call 202-745-7000. |