Imagine being told that your 17-year-old daughter has osteosarcoma, an aggressive bone malignancy with one of the lowest survival rates for pediatric cancer. That was the reality Maddy Oliver’s parents faced in 2014. Maddy gained access to a clinical trial through her treating physician and is now attending college as an average, healthy adult. There are many reasons to love clinical trials, but when you or a loved one’s life are improved or prolonged, it becomes clear as to why they are vital to the future of medicine.
Help Advance Medicine
Clinical trials help improve health and quality of life for patients. Trials answer whether a study medication is safe and effective and if it is better than other current therapies available. Recently, a new cystic fibrosis treatment, Trikafta, was FDA approved. It is the first triple-combination therapy available to treat patients with the most common cystic fibrosis mutation.
Gunnar Esiason, a 28-year-old graduate student at Dartmouth College, said that when he began his Trikafta clinical trial, it began to work “almost instantaneously.” Although Trikafta is not a cure, most patients will enjoy more days without antibiotics and better quality of life thanks to clinical trials.
Participants May Receive Access to Trial Medications
Lee Thompson was diagnosed with colorectal cancer that spread through his entire small intestine. When surgery was not an option and fearing the long-term effects of radiation treatments, he was introduced to a clinical trial investigating a combination of oral chemotherapy and an anti-inflammatory. The anti-inflammatory medication reduced the inflammation, to allow the cancer stem cells to be revealed. He responded well to the trial’s drug therapy for advanced-stage colorectal cancer and is now in clinical remission.
Participating in a clinical trial means you may receive access to trial medication. These treatments may have fewer side effects or offer better intervention than currently available options.
No Insurance Required + No Cost to Participate
Other than being able to get to your clinical trial appointments, most clinical trials do not cost you anything or require you to have insurance to participate. Many offer reimbursements for time and travel.
If you are interested in finding out which studies are enrolling in your area, MyLocalStudy.com is the place. You can search for recruiting studies in your area and apply directly from our website with ease. Click here to learn more!
References:
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/fda-approves-miracle-treatment-cystic-fibrosis/story?id=66444291
