Clinical trials are research studies intended to answer scientific questions and find better ways to treat or prevent diseases. All drugs enter the clinic via proof-of-concept trials, small-scale studies designed to get an early read on a drug’s safety and effectiveness, and to help find and advance the most promising drug candidates. Wherever possible, especially when molecular pathways are shared, several diseases are explored in parallel. If the proof-of-concept study is successful, a medicine typically moves into full clinical development.
The development process varies by division because of the different types of products involved.
Participating in a Novartis clinical trial
Clinical studies are conducted to determine whether a new treatment is both safe and efficacious. Such studies are possible because volunteers (healthy volunteers and patients) agree to participate and try new medicines.
Clinical trial results sharing
We recognize the importance of informing the public about the results of our interventional clinical trials for innovative compounds, regardless of the outcome. We make the results of our clinical trials publicly available through peer-reviewed publications and posting of results on the Novartis clinical trial results database and other online public databases.