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Announcements of the results of one clinical trial or another appear almost daily in the popular media and scientific press, often confounding readers because the outcomes contradict previous studies or perceived wisdom—this new cancer drug is a miracle; eating yogurt is the key to living longer, etc. For the past 12 years, ClinicalTrials.gov has been the go-to site for trial information, currently listing 121,021 ongoing or completed studies from 179 countries.
This issue of The Scientist looks at two of the trickier kinds of clinical trials—those involving children and those examining the benefits of dietary supplements.
By the numbers, there is no shortage of pediatric trials, even though they can be ethically tricky. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 29,253 studies containing the word “children”; 9,419 are still open. ...
