The second trial tests for effectiveness and looks for side effects in a larger number of patients who have the condition the drug is meant to treat.
In fact, none of the methods contained in the current Army manual on interrogation have ever been scientifically tested for effectiveness.
A systemic pesticide, imidacloprid, commonly used on sucking insects like aphids and fleas, is being tested for effectiveness by the Agriculture Department.
Stimulus money should be spent only on programs that work well — and on creating new programs, which in turn should be properly tested for effectiveness.
More than $1.3 billion a year is spent on dietary supplements for weight loss, most of which have had little or no scientifically acceptable testing for effectiveness and safety, especially when used for months.
Earlier this month, the British government approved the company's plans to advance to the next stage of testing, for effectiveness, among people with multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury and other conditions that produce severe pain and muscle spasms.
Nonetheless, a vaccine made of an envelope protein called gp 120, developed by VaxGen, is being tested for effectiveness in thousands of people in the United States and Thailand, with results expected in 2002.
Other simple and widely recommended remedies, most never tested for effectiveness, include eating frequent small meals, avoiding spicy or fatty foods, eliminating pills with iron, eating bland or dry foods or high-protein snacks, and eating dry crackers in the morning before rising.
Even if all goes well in the early-stage study, the treatment faces many years of testing for effectiveness before it could be approved as a therapy for spinal injuries.
