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Athletes are routinely drug tested by taking samples of blood.

Unit 1 - Clinical Trial

This GCSE Biology quiz explores how new drugs are tested, from early safety checks to clinical trials on volunteers, and why careful testing protects patients.

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Fascinating Fact:

Before clinical trials, new drugs are tested in the laboratory on cells, tissues, and animals to check for toxicity, effectiveness, and best dose.

In GCSE Biology, you learn that clinical trials are carefully controlled tests on human volunteers and patients. They compare a new medicine with a control to check safety, effectiveness, suitable doses, and possible side effects before wider use.

Key Terms

Clinical trial: A controlled study that tests a new drug on people to check its safety and how well it works.
Placebo: A dummy treatment with no active drug, used so results can be fairly compared with the real medicine.
Double-blind trial: A trial in which neither the doctor nor the volunteer knows who receives the real drug or the placebo until the end.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a clinical trial in GCSE Biology?

In GCSE Biology, a clinical trial is a test of a new medicine on human volunteers or patients, designed to check that it is safe and that it treats the illness effectively.

Why are placebos used in clinical trials?

Placebos are used so that researchers can compare the effects of the real drug with a treatment that has no active ingredient, helping them see whether improvements are due to the medicine itself.

Why are some clinical trials double-blind?

Clinical trials are often double-blind so neither doctors nor volunteers know who has the real drug, which reduces bias and makes the results more reliable and scientifically fair.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

In a double blind trial, who is allowed to know if the patient has taken the drug?

Both patients and doctors

Neither patients or doctors

Patients know but doctors do not

Only the doctors know

If the patient and doctors know they are being treated with the drug, this may influence their perception of the effects of the drug

2 .

Which of the following is a reason that patients must stop taking a prescribed drug?

If the benefits outweigh the side effects

If the drug has been shown not to work

If no toxicity is observed

If the optimum dose is achieved

With current laws, it is unlikely that a drug would ever reach the market unless it is shown to be effective

3 .

During a clinical trial, variables need to be controlled including age, state of health and what else?

Gender

Temperature

Hair colour

It is possible that a drug could affect women differently to men

4 .

Before clinical trials, which of the following are new drugs not tested on for toxicity?

Cells

Humans

Tissues

Animals

It is a legal requirement for drugs to be tested on animals for toxicity

5 .

Statins are drugs which lower the blood concentration of what?

Cholesterol

Amino acids

Glucose

Insulin

High cholesterol is linked to heart disease. Eating a diet that is not balanced can increase the risk of suffering from high cholesterol levels. Some scientists have found that exercise can help to balance cholesterol levels in the blood but more research is needed

6 .

The drug thalidomide was banned because it caused which side effect?

Heart problems

Kidney disease

Limb deformities

Deafness

Other effects included deformed eyes, hearts, alimentary and urinary tracts, blindness and deafness. It was withdrawn from sale but not until at least 10,000 people around the world had been affected

7 .

A sample of what is taken when athletes are routinely drug tested?

A sample of hair

A sample of blood

A sample of faeces

A sample of muscle

Drug testing may be carried out on blood or urine samples

8 .

New drugs are all tested for efficacy, toxicity, dosage and what else?

Safety

Variables

Placebo

Double blind

New drugs are first tested for safety using computer models and then on non-human animals. Volunteers in clinical trials are carefully monitored just in case it proves to be unsafe for humans despite the previous research

9 .

What does a placebo consist of?

A drug

No drug

Salt

Water

A placebo must resemble the drug being tested so that clinical trial volunteers don't guess that they are not taking the real thing

10 .

Which word describes the effectiveness of a drug?

Its efficacy

Its ethics

Its dose