North Jersey Community Research Initiative

Clinical trial? Why do we still need clinical trials? We know how to treat HIV...don't we???

There still is no cure.  There still is no vaccine to prevent HIV infection.  We don't really know what the best combination to start with is, we don't know what to do for patients who have exhausted all their options.  Many HIV-infected people do very well for long periods, but most people can expect current therapies to lose their effectiveness eventually.

New drugs are being tested all the time.  These experimental drugs may work in the same way as current drugs or they may attack new targets on the virus.  Older drugs are being tested for new uses and in new combinations.  New diagnostic tests are being evaluated to determine if they are useful in following people with HIV infection.  The value of monitoring changes in viral loads and of determining the drugs to which your virus is resistant when making treatment changes was established by clinical trials.  Clinical trials help doctors discover the long term effects of taking these very powerful medications.

At NJCRI, we are committed to protecting your rights as a patient.  Before you decide to  join a trial, you will be given all the information available that might affect your decision whhether or not to join and you will be given an opportunity to have all your questions answered.  An indipendent Institutional Review Board, some times called an ethics committee, reviews all trials to ensure that your rights are protected.

Before you join a trial, some of the questions you may want to ask our staff:

• In what way might I benefit by participating in a clinical trial?

• What are the side effects of the drugs?

• Are there any drugs, food, etc. that I should not take while taking the study drugs?

• Has the study drug been used before?

• Will a placebo be used?

• What other treatment options do I have?

• How long will the study last?

• How often will I have to come to the clinic?

• Will I receive any travel moeny for being in the study?

• Who will know I am in a study and who will be able to see my medical records?

• Who will be providing my medical care once the study is over?

• Will I be able to get the study drug once the study is over?

• Who do I call for more information?

Our Staff:

Department of Clinical Research
393 Central Avenue
Newark NJ 07103

Primary Contact: Corey DeStefano
c.destefano@njcri.org
(973) 483-3444 x 135