If you've had the opportunity to read a little bit about TrialJourney™ and what our story is, you'll see that total transparency is at our core. In keeping with the theme of transparency, we want all of our viewers and partners to know that respecting the rights and welfare of all people is also at our core. In addition to the team of doctors, nurses, researchers and computer scientists at ™ there is also an entire team dedicated to ensuring that TrialJourney™ is compliant with Federal and local regulations, as well as ensuring your rights are protected.
What is an IRB?
In clinical research, and as required by FDA regulation, there is a group of qualified and hand selected people that have been formally designated to review and monitor clinical research that involves humans as participants. This group of people make up what is called an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The purpose of the IRB is to ensure appropriate steps are taken to protect the rights and welfare of humans participating in research. The IRB does this by reviewing the research protocols and all materials related to the research.
Is TrialJourney™ a Recruitment Company?
TrialJourney™ is not a participant recruitment company, instead we are dedicated to:
- helping you learn more about clinical research
- providing access to information about clinical trials that may be right you for you
- providing a space where participants can freely give feedback on their clinical trial experience
The IRB not only reviews the research protocol and related materials, but also the methods and materials that are used to recruit potential participants, like yourself, into clinical trials. There are many materials that are required to be reviewed by the IRB, materials such as newspaper ads, radio and TV ads, bulletin boards, posters, and flyers that are intended to recruit participants. However, there are some materials that do not need to be reviewed by the IRB and these types of materials are: news stories, communications intended to be seen by health professionals, and clinical trial listings that contain basic trial information.
TrialJourney™ provides you with easy access to clinical trial listings that already exist on the internet. As a result, in keeping with regulations and our vision of transparency, the information provided on TrialJourney™ has not, nor is it required to be, reviewed by an IRB. We simply present pre-existing information on a platform that also provides information on the research facilities conducting trials. To date, this pairing has never existed and TrialJourney™ is proud to offer participants the ability to receive more information about clinical trial participation than ever before.
Does TrialJourney™ accept Referral or Finder's Fees?
Over the years, referring participants into clinical trials for a fee has been a topic of heated debate. Due to the fact that the FDA does not specifically address fee arrangements, it has been up to various parties (institutions, sponsors, investigators, IRBs, etc) to define referral or finder's fees and establish whether or not it is ethical. TrialJourney™ is not here to define those terms, however, in the spirit of transparency, we want our viewers and partners to know that we do not accept any type of fee for the referral or enrollment of participants in clinical trials.
You may have noticed that there are research centers that have more information than others. These research centers are considered partners with TrialJourney™ and they have become a partner by paying to have more information about their center displayed. These partners are eager to prove themselves to you as a positive clinical trial experience. However, it is important to note that your peers and past participants have the ability to rate all research centers available on TrialJourney™. Unfortunately, just because a research center is a partner does not mean participants have provided the center with a high rating. It is through this process that we hope to provide you with access to a clinical trial and a research center that is right for you.