Everything you need to know about treatment information and clinical trials
The dFDA is an evidence-based platform providing comprehensive information about medical conditions, treatments, and clinical trials. We aggregate data from research studies, clinical trials, and real-world evidence to help patients and clinicians make informed decisions.
We use systematic review methods to analyze published research, clinical trial results, and real-world effectiveness data. Treatments are evaluated based on efficacy, safety, quality of evidence, and applicability to different patient populations.
Pragmatic trials test treatments in real-world healthcare settings using existing medical records and routine care, rather than creating expensive artificial research environments. Patients receive normal care while data is automatically collected, making trials 82x cheaper than traditional methods.
Traditional trials cost $20B+ in recruitment, $15B in manual data collection, $10B in dedicated research sites, and $5B in regulatory overhead. Pragmatic trials eliminate these costs by using existing healthcare infrastructure, electronic health records, and streamlined protocols. Total savings: $50B annually.
Yes. They follow the same scientific principles and regulatory standards. The difference is efficiency, not rigor. Oxford's RECOVERY trial (pragmatic design) enrolled 40,000 patients in months and found effective COVID treatments while traditional trials were still recruiting. Same safety, 82x faster and cheaper.
Everything: new drugs, repurposed existing medications, medical devices, surgical techniques, behavioral interventions, prevention strategies. Pragmatic trials excel at comparing real-world effectiveness of treatments, finding optimal doses, and identifying which patients benefit most.
Immediate impact. Pragmatic trials can begin enrolling patients within weeks of approval. Results for acute conditions (like COVID treatments) can come in months. Chronic disease trials take longer but still deliver answers years faster than traditional methods.
Browse our conditions database or use the search function. Each condition page lists active clinical trials, eligibility criteria, and enrollment information. You can also use our trial finder tool to match your specific situation with available studies.
That depends on your individual situation. Clinical trials offer access to cutting-edge treatments but may involve risks and inconveniences. Discuss the specific trial with your healthcare provider to determine if it's right for you. We provide information, not medical advice.