Who conducts drug studies?
In theory, independent scientists. Before drugs are approved for public use by the Food and Drug Administration, researchers perform studies that are supposed to determine whether these medications are effective and if they cause dangerous side effects. The scientists report their findings in medical journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the New England Journal of Medicine, or hundreds of smaller journals focused on specialties such as neurology and oncology. The FDA relies on these studies, as do doctors, who use them to make treatment decisions. But it
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
A running list of RFK Jr.'s controversiesIn Depth The man atop the Department of Health and Human Services has had no shortage of scandals over the years
-
Film reviews: Sinners and The King of KingsFeature Vampires lay siege to a Mississippi juke joint and an animated retelling of Jesus' life
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The WaterboysFeature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
