At what phase of clinical trials is a drug primarily tested for efficacy in patients who have the disease?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To approach this question, I’ll parse what each phase is typically designed to test in drug development and then map that to the prompt asking about efficacy in patients who have the disease.
Option a) Phase 4: This phase occurs after a drug is approved and on the market. Its main focus is post-marketing surveillance, rare adverse events, and real-world effectiveness, not initial efficacy testing in patients. Therefore, it does not describe the primary efficacy testing in diseased patients during development.
Option b) Phase 3: Phase 3 trials are large-scale studies that confirm efficacy and monitor adverse reactions, often comparing with standard treatments. While efficacy is evaluated here, the question emphasizes the phase where efficacy in diseased patients is tested in a more focused, mid-to-late stage to determine optimal dosing and therapeutic benefit, which is typically not Phase 3’s primary stated purpose.
Option c) Phase 1: Phase 1 trials primarily assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and dosing, usually in healthy volunteers or a small patient group. They are not designed to establish efficacy in the diseased population comprehensively.
Option d) Phase 2B: Phase 2 trials explore efficacy and continue safety assessment in patients with the disease. The Phase 2B subset (often called the efficacy or dose-ranging phase) is specifically aimed at determining whether the drug shows meaningful clinical benefit in patients and helps refine the dose. This aligns with the description in the question exactly.
In summary, the question is asking for the trial phase concerned with testing efficacy in patients who have the disease, which is characteristic of Phase 2B trials, whereas the other phases focus on different aims (safety/dosing in Phase 1, broader efficacy confirmation in Phase 3, and post-marketing surveillance in Phase 4).

At what phase of clinical trials is a drug primarily tested for efficacy in patients who have the disease?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

Which of the following are reasons Borgerson gives for thinking that the effectiveness of alternative medicine will not necessarily be demonstrated in large-scale, randomized controlled trials? (Check BOTH that apply)

Which of the following steps comes immediately before Phase I clinical testing?

In Phase III of the Clinical Trial Process, Doctors compare the treatment with the standard of care for that disease. They do so by gathering data from how many patients?

Which of the following occurs during Phase III of the Clinical Trial Process:

True or False: A single-arm trial includes multiple groups that are randomly assigned to different treatments.

Which of the following best describes Phase 3 of FDA clinical trials?

Which phase of the clinical trial process involves a sample of 100-200 patients to confirm the benefits and safety of a treatment?

Which phase of a clinical trial lasts several months and studies drug interactions with the body?

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler