People with lupus are the strongest weapon in the fight against lupus.
Lupus researchers have scientific expertise, but they don't have the knowledge that comes from being a person with lupus. People sitwithh lupus are experts on their disease and its impact on daily life. Their awareness and insight can help researchers ask the right questions and design the best treatments.
What is Lupus?
Lupus is a chronic disease that can cause inflammation and pain in any part of the body. It's an autoinmne disease, which means your inmune system attacks healthy tissue.
No cure
There is not cure for lupus, but it can be managed with medication to: improve the symptoms, prevent flares, prevent other health problems.
Diagnosis is hard
Diverse and non specific presentation can lead to delay the diagnosis. Lupus can also imitated other diseases and doctors may not recognize it.
Why enroll?
If you have lupus, you can volunteer to take part in research that will improve the lives of people with lupus today and the health of future generations .
Why join a clinical trial?
Clinical trials help doctors understand how to treat a particular illness. It may benefit you, or others like you, in the future.
If you take part in a clinical trial, you may be one of the first people to benefit from a new treatment.
But there's also a chance that the new treatment turns out to be no better, or worse, than the standard treatment.
What Happens in a clinical trial?
Testing a new medicine
All clinical trials of new medicines go through a series of phases to test whether they're safe and whether they work.
The medicines will usually be tested against another treatment called a control.
This will either be a dummy treatment (a placebo) or a standard treatment already in use.
Phase 1 Trials
A small number of people, who may be healthy volunteers, are given the medicine.
The drug is being trialled in human volunteers for the first time.
Researchers test for side effects and calculate what the right dose might be to use in treatment.
Researchers start with small doses and only increase the dose if the volunteers do not experience any side effects, or if they only experience minor side effects.
Phase 2 Trials
The new medicine is tested on a larger group of people who are ill. This is to get a better idea of its effects in the short term.
Phase 3 Trials
Carried out on medicines that have passed phases 1 and 2.
The medicine is tested in larger groups of people who are ill, and compared against an existing treatment or a placebo to see if it's better in practice and if it has important side effects.
Trials often last a year or more and involve several thousand patients.
Phase 4 Trials
The safety, side effects and effectiveness of the medicine continue to be studied while it's being used in practice.
Not required for every medicine.
Only carried out on medicines that have passed all the previous stages and have been given marketing licences – a licence means the medicine is available on prescription.
People worlwide have som form of lupus
Most people with lupus develop the disease between the age 15 -44
Are women
It takes nearly 6 years to be diagnosed
Be part of the next success story
When you express interest in a trial, a doctor or nurse is likely to tell you something about it in person.
But if you are interested feel free to fill out the form and ask for information about the Lupus study or any new research studies that fit your interest.
Events
Still have questions?
If you want to know more feel free to schedule a meeting with one of our experts