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Women who have uterine fibroids or heavy menstrual periods may be eligible for a study of a new batch of medicines.
Locally the study is being handled at Women’s Health Practice in Champaign. Eligible enrollees will receive a medication (or, by slim chance, a placebo) that aims to shrink fibroids or reduce bleeding. Some of the medicines have already been approved for use in Europe.
“It’s been a goal to have medications to treat uterine fibroids in a better way than ever before,” said Suzanne Trupin, M.D., OB/GYN, at WHP.
Fibroids are noncancerous muscle tumor in the uterus. They are common, affecting 40 to 50 percent of women, and “are the most common reason women have hysterectomies,” Trupin said.
An injectable medicine called Lupron is the common tactic for treating fibroids, but because of long-term side effects it is only approved for “very short-term use,” Trupin said.
Several new compounds, including some approved in Europe, are under study here.
“They should help control bleeding, shrink fibroids and potentially, because it’s a pill, would (have) potential for longer term therapy than is currently available,” Trupin said.
The study seeks women who have fibroids — even if they haven’t been diagnosed — or suffer heavy menstrual periods. A thorough examination period at WHP will determine eligibility for the study and safety protocols will be followed.
“The studies are at the stage where they’ve done a significant amount of safety testing, so we have a pretty good idea of how the medication would work in a particular person,” said Trupin, who added that WHP has been involved in more than 100 studies in the past. “We would be able to give them a lot of information on what they can expect out of the medication in terms of side effects or potential complications. The safety profiles of these medicines are extremely good.”
The study period is 24 weeks. The medical costs are covered by the study, and enrollees receive reimbursement (up to $1,500) for costs incurred such as transportation, time lost, etc.
Those interested in participating in the study should contact Women’s Health Practice at (217) 356-3736.