You may have noticed that the prescription that cleared your sinus infection didn’t work for your neighbor or spouse. That’s because men and women, children and seniors, and people of different ethnicities all respond to drugs differently. To address these issues, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched a new online database in late 2015 called Drug Trials Snapshots.
With the new database, you can discover the specifics of clinical trials for the drug you’re researching. You can find out how the study was designed, if the drug worked differently in men vs. women or which ethnic groups were included. The question-and-answer format is easy to use. It leads you through sections on drug use, benefits and side effects. Tables and charts present the data in graphic form. At the end of each section, you’ll find “more information” tabs.
Currently, there are more than 50 snapshots in the database. The FDA plans to include new drugs 30 days after they’re approved.
Visit the FDA’s Drug Trials Snapshots database: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/InformationOnDrugs/ucm412998.htm