Institutional Review Board (IRB)

IRB stands for institutional review board and is one of the protections in place for patients of clinical trials. An institutional review board is a group of at least five people made up of doctors, researchers, and community members who together are formally designated to ensure that a particular clinical trial is ethical and protects the rights and welfare of the participating patients. An IRB is required to monitor, review, and approve every clinical trial that is federally supported or conducted.