I work in clinical pharmaceutical research.
I'm not here to debate with anyone about drug pricing or "big pharma" or any of that.
Because that isn't what I do. I work on the science side of drug development. I don't have anything to do with pricing.
I am ALSO not here to debate about the history of clinical research and the nasty side of non-ethical research being performed.
And lemme tell y'all - clinical research is IMPORTANT.
Because of clinical trials, we have the cancer drugs my mom is taking to help her live to see 2027 (hopefully).
Because of clinical trials, we have Abilify that my ex-husband (and good friend) is taking. When he and I were still married, early in our marriage, he was Not Doing Well (he was on medication and seeing a therapist, but it wasn't ENOUGH). His psychiatrist put him on Abilify, and within TWO WEEKS I had my husband back.
At work, our leadership asks us a lot about what our “why” is. Why we do what we do.
And y’all – Abilify is why I do what I do.
Years ago (like, maybe 10 years ago now) I used to be a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) who traveled around the country monitoring clinical trials. That meant I could look at medical records of participants who had signed Informed Consent to participate in any given clinical trial. The reason I looked at those medical records was to ensure patient safety and the site’s (the hospital or doctor’s office) adherence to GCP (Good Clinical Practice).
I was a CRA for about 14 years total, monitoring (reviewing site and participant information) various clinical trials. And one of (actually about 4 of) the clinical trials I happened to work on were for Abilify. I worked on Abilify studies for about three years total. My job was to know the protocol (the manual we used that was the “bible” for that particular study) inside and out, to be able to answer site questions and help ensure participant safety. I know how that drug works. I know what it’s for, and what it isn’t for. Abilify (when used to treat major depression) works best as a catalyst to help other anti-depressants work more effectively.** Abilify is a truly wonderful medication for those who meet the criteria to use it. It helped my ex-husband treat his major depression. I am really grateful for the experience I had while working on those clinical trials.
I’ve worked on a lot of other studies for other medications in my 25+ years in the industry. I am supremely grateful to all the scientists (and everyone else) who have worked to invent and design the drugs that are available to all of us now, both via prescription by a doctor or over the counter meds.
Science is magic that works, folks. Clinical research is really, really important.
References/More Information
I am not the repository of all clinical research information. The information below is only meant to inform, this is not a complete directory of laws and regulations surrounding human pharmaceutical clinical trials by any means.
If you’re interested in knowing more about human clinical trials, you can check out ClinicalTrials.gov
If you’re interested in learning more about the laws that govern pharmaceutical clinical research in the United States of America, please check out the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, subchapter D
You can also check out ICH-GCP, E6 – as it applies to good clinical practice in relation to human clinical trials. ICH-GCP is a worldwide standard used to regulate human clinical trials the world over. You can find out more about the mission of ICH here.
**I DO NOT work for the company who markets Abilify, nor am I affiliated with any of their partners. I am also NOT a doctor or nurse. This post IS NOT an advertisement for any anti-depressant or any other medication. If you think you need mental health treatment, please talk to your primary care physician for a referral to a therapist, or reach out to NAMI .
