Testing Medicines: A Clinical Trial 7 th Grade Science

Warm-Up 1.What is a quantitative Observation? 2.Write two quantitative observations from our classroom. 3.What is a qualitative Observation? 4.Write one qualitative observation from our classroom. In your journal add new Title to Table of Contents “Testing Medicines-A Clinical Trial” Go to the appropriate page and title it

Imagine you work for a company that develops medicines. You have developed a medication for severe headaches and have tested it on rats and mice to see if it has any negative effects. The tests on the animals showed no harmful effects, even at much higher doses than you plan to use on humans. Now it is time to test the medicine on volunteers in a clinical trial. What could happen to these volunteers after they take the medicine?

Write the following question and response in your science notebook: – How would you test the medicine to be sure it is safe and improves the health of headache patients?

We are participating in a simulation to determine whether medicines are effective and safe for people. A simulation is an experience that is meant to mimic, or be like, another experience.

In this simulation, a taste test represents the trial of a new medicine.

Based on these results, does the medicine appear to have worked?

Warm-Up Why do we need a control group? What is a placebo? Give me an observation from my room Give me an inference from your observation. Where do you get missed work when you are absent? Open your journals to Testing Medicines- A clinical Trial

Only some of the groups got the “real medicine.” All of the yellow drinks were the same. The pink drinks contained red food coloring. Some of the pink drinks contained more sugar.

Some of the pink drinks contained additional sugar. (This was the “medicine”.) Some of the pink drinks were identical to the yellow drink (except for the red food color which is tasteless.)

*2,4,6 received the “medicine.” They were the “treatment” group. *Groups 1, 3, and 5 received a drink that looked like it had the real medicine but didn’t. They were the “control” group.

Why is it important to have a group that did not receive the medicine?

In a real test of a medicine, one group receives a pill containing inactive ingredients, while another group receives a pill that contains the medicine.

In our simulation: -the red food coloring represented the idea of taking a pill. -the sugar represented the active ingredient in the medicine.

These controls, those given what they think is a “real medicine” but really has no medicine in it is called a control. The pill or treatment used as a control is called a placebo. (We will talk more about this in the next section.)

Analysis Question 4 (IN YOUR JOURNAL!!): In this activity, is a person finds that the medicine tastes better or worse, the headache is gone. Review the results of the simulation. Think about whether the medicine works and how often side effects occur. What would you conclude about the safety and effectiveness of this medicine for treating headaches? Support your conclusion with evidence.