Rogers: Older Adults Should View Clinical Trials as Access, Not a Last Resort

Board-certified physician Dr. Rhea Rogers told listeners on the Aging Untold program that people considering clinical trials should stop viewing them as a final option. Rogers argued that patients often mistakenly believe trials are a last resort when other treatments have failed. She said the primary benefit of participation is immediate access to medicines, devices, and therapies that may remain unavailable to the general public for years.

Rogers recommended that prospective participants shift their focus from asking if a trial will help them personally to understanding what specific question the study is trying to answer. She advised that this scientific objective is the core purpose of most research. To locate studies, she suggested searching ClinicalTrials.gov, consulting a physician, or contacting academic centers and disease-specific organizations.

Aging expert Amy O’Rourke noted that the National Institutes of Health maintains a list of trials and indicates which ones compensate participants. O’Rourke explained that participants must enter studies with the expectation that they may receive a placebo rather than the experimental drug. She stated that participants should not expect the medication itself or a guaranteed improvement in their condition.

O’Rourke reported that clients who joined local trial groups often felt a sense of community and hope. She highlighted the role of social workers in these settings, who provided support groups and connected participants with community resources. O’Rourke described these non-medical benefits as a major value for older adults.

Gerontologist Sam Cradduck emphasized that older adults are frequently excluded from research. She quoted the term 'evidence free' to describe this demographic, noting that their exclusion leads to a gap in safety data. Cradduck explained that medication metabolizes differently in older bodies compared to younger ones. She stated that without older participants, researchers are effectively working without essential data.

Cradduck addressed the common concern that participants are treated like guinea pigs. She asserted that by the time a study reaches the clinical phase, the treatment has been thoroughly tested repeatedly. She also noted that adverse effects are common with any prescribed medication. Cradduck concluded that new medicines cannot receive approval without clinical trials, making participation necessary for the development of new treatments.