SPONSORED CONTENT
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
PEAK Research
ADVANCES MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE with
CLINICAL TRIALS
SPONSORED CONTENT
Participating in a clinical trial is a foreign concept to a lot of people , so perhaps the benefits of clinical trials are not as readily apparent as we had thought .
First and foremost , your participation can help others by contributing to medical knowledge and improving public health . Participants in clinical trials play a key role in drug development and discovery . Clinical trials contribute to knowledge and progress in treating and preventing diseases .
Since 2011 , PEAK Research in Upper St . Clair has been dedicated to supporting medical research through clinical trials .
The most common reason individuals participate in clinical trials is that they are looking for alternative solutions to medical issues that ( to this point ) they have not had success treating , or they are interested in different treatment modalities .
One patient states , “ There was nothing on the market to help with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome ( IBS ), so I thought , why not try a clinical study ? I could not believe the change in my life after I started taking the study medication . I was able to eat foods I had not been able to eat in years . I was able to go places and not have to worry about being near a restroom . My quality of life was dramatically improved .”
In other cases , patients simply cannot afford the medications to treat their nonlife-threatening conditions such as acne , keratosis , athlete ’ s foot , eczema , psoriasis , rosacea and otitis , to name a few study areas offered by PEAK Research .
“ I was so happy to have found the acne studies at PEAK . The study treatment helped my daughter feel confident again . She continues to enroll in acne studies that she qualifies for . I was a little nervous , but the staff was very knowledgeable and made us feel comfortable with our decision to participate ,” says another patient ’ s mother .
Patients in trials receive either generic treatment being tested , an accepted standard treatment for the condition , or a placebo . There is no guarantee that any treatment received in a clinical trial will produce the desired results . Medications are part of clinical trials for a host of reasons . These can include not yet being granted FDA approval for all age groups , or testing for generic formulations of FDA-approved drugs . Generic medications must pass through the same rigorous screening and clinical trials that the original drugs undergo .
Participants receive a free medical exam , and any tests required for the trial are paid for through the study . In one case during the course of a trial a malignancy was found in its early stages in a patient enrolled in a woman ’ s health care study , giving the person the chance to seek early treatment and a more positive outcome .
On other occasions , exams revealed that patients had hypertension or elevated blood levels and they were sent to their PCPs for further evaluation .
PEAK Research has been providing Pittsburgh-area residents with quality clinical studies for the past six years ,
however its leaders who staff the facility have over 50 years of experience in clinical research . PEAK has the privilege of working with several local area doctors who function as lead physicians on studies , as well as some who refer patients for trials that can benefit them . PEAK also reports to a central institutional review board ( IRB ) that provides scientific oversight for clinical trials . An IRB is an independent committee of doctors , statisticians , and community members helping to ensure that clinical trials are ethical and that participants ’ rights are protected . PEAK Research is dedicated to excellence and committed to the future .
The research facility is conveniently located in Upper St . Clair in the Summerfield Commons Complex , which means no traffic , searching for parking , or parking fees .
PEAK Research currently is seeking participants for upcoming studies in the areas of dermatology , primary medicine , women ’ s health and vaccines . A full list of the current studies can be found on the PEAK Research website at peak-research . com . For more information or questions about being a participant , contact the office at 412.595.7681 .
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