Clinical research studies help doctors and researchers find out whether a study drug is safe and works to treat a certain condition or group of patients. The doctors in clinical research studies refer to the medicine they are researching as an investigational medicinal product or just investigational medicine.

Every drug must be tested before people are allowed to use it and doctors can give it to their patients. There is a special group of doctors and individuals with expertise in the disease being studied that make up Data and Safety Monitoring Boards, which are appointed for most larger multi-site research studies of a drug. They oversee and monitor the study to ensure participant safety as well as the validity and integrity of the data.