Conducting clinical research on supplements can sometimes feel overwhelming. There are many options for clinical trial designs, all ranging in complexity, price range, and time frame. There’s also a serious amount of jargon that comes with initiating your trial -- so today, we’re going to break down some of the Big Ideas in supplement clinical trials, and make it a little easier for your brand to get started on research.
Blood work and Biomarkers
If you’ve chosen to run a clinical trial on your supplement or health food product, you’re attempting to demonstrate one main objective: does your product actually work on a scientific level? Bloodwork and biomarkers are the most obvious way to go about this, as you can identify very specifically the exact effect your product is having on participants’ bodies.
Bloodwork allows you to test for certain biomarkers, such as cholesterol or levels of certain vitamins in someone’s system. This gives you tangible data to prove that your product actually does exactly what your claims state, or whether your formula still needs some adjusting.
Initiating this kind of testing can seem intimidating, but the truth is it’s much easier than you may think. You can even still organize bloodwork and biomarker testing for decentralized or remote trials by having patients take tests at home or in a nearby lab. You can ask your CRO what the best approach is for your trial’s needs (if that’s us, we’re happy to guide you!)
Validated Questionnaires
If biomarkers and blood tests aren’t quite what you had in mind, or if your trial is running on a lower budget, you can still create scientific health claims through the use of validated Questionnaires. These are approved questionnaires by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) which can measure various aspects of your participants’ experiences, such as pain, energy throughout the day, anxiety, particular symptoms’ severity, and so on. As these surveys have to be approved by the IRB ethics committee, you can be sure that your clinical trial is ethical, safe, and scientifically measured.
Consumer Perception Studies
Our CEO and co-founder, Susanne Mitschke describes Consumer Perception trials best: "Consumer perception studies are like the little sister of clinical trials. Depending on where you are on the journey with your brand, it can make a lot of sense to conduct them. Also, not every consumer perception study is the same. You can also design these types of studies in a way that they're robust and scientific to give you a more scientific edge and good enough data to create product claims,” Susanne said.
Consumer Perception studies are a really effective way to create clinically backed claims for your supplement or health food products without overspending on other lengthy clinical trial designs. If you’d like to learn more about what exactly consumer perception studies entail, you can read more here.
Want to learn how you can create research-backed claims for your own products?
Citruslabs provides a simple and affordable way to prove that your products actually work. At Citruslabs, we design a clinical trial that is right for you and your budget, so that you can start sharing research-backed product claims without spending a fortune. We offer the cohesive planning and management required to conduct successful clinical trials, from start to finish. Ready to get started? Let's talk! You can contact us here.