Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010

Clinical Trials- The Venom of the Beast

Alacramyn is a drug that is suppose to be used to reduce effects of scorpion venom. Since double-blind means that no one knows which patients got the drug then none of the patients or doctors knew who got the Alacramyn and who got the placebo, a type of pill or something that is another way of helping a patient.  The purpose of the treatment is to examine the drug in a neutral way. Even though the drug people are a mystery, the experiment is still controlled. With the scorpion venom, there had to be no trace of venom left for the clinical trial to be complete. Once the trial was complete, the Alacramyn patients blood decreased. The venom in the placebo patients still had to continue being sedated for a a little longer and had higher levels of it. So the drug was successful in its purpose and if you're ever stung by a scorpion, get the Alacramyn!