Awakening to Better Treatment: Highlights from Our Clinical Research Labs

In the 1990 movie “Awakenings,”a neurologist played by Robin Williams performs clinical research using a test drug to rouse patients from a catatonic state. The drug, L-Dopa, did not prove effective in that case, but its promise was further explored and it continues to be used successfully today on a wide range of conditions, including Parkinson’s.

The point of this story is that without the clinical trials, the power of a treatment would never have been known. Every day, the medical community is seeking new, more effective approaches to curing patients, and clinical research is crucial to that. This is a fact at the Cleveland Clinic as much as it is at The Urology Group. For instance, we recently concluded research that involved the use of Botox as a viable treatment option for adults with overactive bladder.

By participating in a clinical trial, patients play a more active role in their own health care by accessing new treatments, and they help others by contributing to medical research. At the Urology Group, several trials are scheduled and underway. There is never a charge for being in one of our studies. In fact, many of our studies include a stipend. Are you interested? See below:

• The Urology Group is performing multiple studies for new therapies for advancing prostate cancer.
• We are conducting a study to evaluate the effects of a recently approved medication for erectile dysfunction (ED) on sperm production. Healthy men (ages 18-45) and men with mild ED are eligible for this study.
• We routinely do multiple studies for people with overactive bladder (those who find themselves going to the bathroom too frequently and having trouble with urinary leakage). There will be several trials, evaluating various medications, to hopefully control this problem.
• Shortly, we will be participating in several studies for interstitial cystitis (IC). We are seeking women with this condition to participate in the trials.

The movie “Awakenings” has a melancholy ending — the drug did not work, but the surgeon involved learned a lesson in the value of living life to its fullest. By offering and participating in trials, we all strive to do the same.

If you think you may be interested in one of these studies, please call 513-841-7550.