UKTREND logo web

How does research work?


Research into skin conditions goes on worldwide every day. Research follows prescribed conditions to ensure results are valid and trustworthy.




Phases I and II Trials

Phase 1 studies assess the safety of a drug or device




The study looks at the effects of the drug including how it absorbed, metabolized, and excreted


It also investigates the side effects that occur as dosage levels are increased


About 70% of experimental drugs pass this phase of testing.











Phase II studies test the efficacy of a drug or device




It can involve up to several hundred patients who have the relevant condition




The studies may also be "blinded" which means that neither the patients nor the researchers know who has received the experimental drug




















Phase III and IV Trials





This large-scale testing, which can last several years, provides the pharmaceutical company with a more thorough understanding of the effectiveness of the drug or device, the benefits and the range of possible adverse reactions




Once Phase III is complete, a pharmaceutical company can request approval for marketing the drug













Phase IV studies are conducted after a drug or device has been approved for consumer sale


Pharmaceutical companies have several objectives at this stage:






Phase IV studies are not used for all drugs or devices



medications-342462_640 population medications-257336_640