Latin American Phase 2 Trials: The Benefits and Downfalls

Clinical research has a mixed reputation. Most volunteers are sceptical at first, some are scared and some have already participated and are enjoying the benefits. Pharmaceutical companies have a different perspective about Latin American Phase 2 trials. These are necessary to determine side effects of medications, and to get the approval that many medications need in order to hit the shelves. On the other hand, some pharmaceutical companies do not like Latin American Phase 2 trials because of the difficulty of working with volunteers in another country. Whether it’s a volunteer or a pharmaceutical company, these awesome benefits and few downfalls will help industry leaders and volunteers see a few new things about Latin American Phase 2 trials.

Diversity

When research is conducted in a different country, it gives pharmaceutical companies the chance to diversify their volunteer population. This particular nationality remains one of the most underrepresented populations in clinical research. When drug companies go out of the way to work with other countries, they are making sure that their medication is safe for everyone.

No language barrier anymore

The reason that Latin Americans are underrepresented in phase 2 trials is the simple fact that most of these people do not want to volunteer is that they have a language barrier. This makes understanding the rules and regulations, and even simply volunteering, more difficult. When companies work with a CRO that specializes in this particular area or country, they will do all of the communication with volunteers for them, making it easier to work with a more diverse population.

Quicker results

One of the hardest parts of phase 2 trials is simply finding all of the volunteers needed to do the trial. This sounds simple, but when a company does not compensate for a person’s time with money, less people volunteer. Also, people can only participate in so many trials. When this is added to the fact that many people are not eager to participate, it can make things increasingly difficult.

This is one of the many reasons why Latin America is so great for these studies. Most participants are eager to help their population, and they get to enjoy free medication, something that many participants both want and need. Because most research companies do not work in this country, most of the population has yet to participate in any type of clinical research, meaning that if they are eligible, they can usually participate.

Because of all of this, the company that is in charge of the conducting all of the research is able to get the study started quicker, and they are able to make sure that pharmaceutical companies get their results quicker.

More difficult trials

Often, to complete a successful clinical research study, companies will need to work with a CRO that already specializes in that area. It requires them to already have an office and be well established in the country, and the list of those organizations is just not that long. It can make this more difficult for drug companies as they try to work around the schedule of the CRO, try to figure out how to hire a CRO in another country, and determine if there are different laws to follow.

The benefits of these studies is usually longer than the downfalls, but that one downfall is a big one. In order to make sure that this goes successfully, drug companies will need to take their time. Coming up with a list of criteria that one must meet and reading online reviews can be helpful in finding the perfect CRO (clinical research organization) to work with in their next series of trials.