Clinical Trials

As a fundamental component in the advancement of medical knowledge, clinical trials play an important role in the discovery of new treatments, therapies, and procedures for diseases and conditions. They also help to find new ways of reducing, diagnosing, and detecting the chance of developing those diseases or conditions.

These studies are designed to show what works and what doesn’t in humans, key information that can’t be learned in the lab or with animal models. Think about all the current medications, therapies, and devices used to treat diseases and conditions today. You may not realize that they’re only available because they’ve gone through this rigorous process and had human participants involved in their clinical trials.

The ultimate goal in clinical trials is to improve health outcomes. For people living with a rare disease like acromegaly, clinical trials can provide an opportunity to try new therapies that aren’t yet approved (these are called investigational). Participation is also a chance to engage more frequently with physicians, to contribute to research that could ultimately improve their own condition, and to help others in the future.