When it comes to clinical trials, some participants enroll out of desperation, hoping to finally find a cure for their illness, while others want to do their part in advancing medical research, according to Lori Holzman Schwartz’s recent article in Mishpacha magazine, “A Leap Into the Lab.”
For Yael, 68, the incurable genetic disease that made it hard for her heart to pump blood led her to the Hadassah Medical Organization doctor researching the condition. Dr. Donna Zfat-Zwas, director of the Linda Joy Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center for Women, said that she was “really pleased to be part of the development of a new pharmaceutical alternative that may enable people to avoid invasive procedures.”
Barbara Sofer’s reason for participating in an Alzheimer’s disease trial was the latter. Says the public relations director at the Hadassah Offices in Israel. “I feel this is a small contribution to medicine that will help others. I have friends who have donated their kidneys, and my contribution is so much easier.”
With the risks that come with clinical trials, the decision to participate should rely heavily on an individual’s specific situation, according to Dr. Tamir Ben-Hur, chair of the Brain Division at the Hadassah Medical Organization, who has conducted trials for over 35 years. “The first reason might be because there is a need,” he told the magazine, referring to instances when patients exhaust all their options for the best available treatments for such diseases as cancer, multiple sclerosis and brain disease. “In that case, we’ll say, ‘Look, there is this clinical trial. We’re trying a new thing. We don’t know yet whether it will work for sure. But we think that there is a good chance.’ Then we’ll discuss the pros and cons of joining it.”
