Studies of drug development have described the role of clinical trials in the selection of
drug profiles. This article presents a case study of the development of hormonal drugs
in the 1920s and 1930s to illustrate that clinical trials have a more extensive role than
is assumed. Clinical trials are instrumental in mediating the relationships between the
pharmaceutical industry, the laboratory, and the clinic, resulting in a network of actors
collectively creating medical knowledge, drugs, and markets for these drugs.
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