CHARLOTTE, NC
Pulmonary Fibrosis Clinical Trials
3 studies are open to new patients near Charlotte NC, and each takes a different route. Notably, one goes after the cough rather than the scarring, and one has no dummy pill at all. Compensation is provided for eligible participants.
3
Open to New Patients
3
Approved Drugs Now
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, one thing decides which of these is open to you, and it is your exact diagnosis rather than how you feel. So here is the order to work through.
- Find out exactly which label you carry. Because IPF opens some doors and shuts others, and the split between it and the rest decides everything here.
- Get your last two numbers to hand. Notably, every study screens on FVC and DLCO, so knowing them turns a long call into a short one.
- Check the date on your last chest scan. In fact, most of these want one from the past year, read again by their own expert.
- Finally, tap the button. Then we check you against all of them at once and tell you when a new one opens.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
The 3 Studies Open Near Charlotte
One more reads as recruiting but takes only people already in an earlier study. So we separate that one.
The three you can actually join
All three sit in a ring around the city rather than in it. Notably, one goes after the cough instead of the scarring.
The One Aimed at the Cough, Not the Scarring
Trevi Therapeutics / Drug
A slow release tablet tested against the cough that comes with lung scarring. A small worn device counts your coughs across a full day, so the main measure is a count rather than a score.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: almost every study in this field chases lung function. This one chases the cough, which many people rank as the worst part of their day.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 40 or older, with the diagnosis made by a lung specialist
- Also, you have had a cough for at least 8 weeks
- Besides that, your breathing test shows FVC at least 40 percent of predicted
- Finally, your gas test shows DLCO at least 25 percent of predicted
Probably not a fit if: you have sleep apnea. A diagnosis of it, or any current use of a breathing device, rules you out. Also, any chest infection in the 8 weeks before screening does the same.
- Placebo group: Real tablet against a dummy, and the ratio is not published. However, your current scarring drug carries on at a steady dose.
- How long: About 13 to 14 months. The main read comes at week 26 and safety runs to week 57.
- Clinic visits: The total is not published. Confirmed points are the start, week 6, week 26, then out to week 54.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: A cough monitor worn at home for a day, plus breathing tests and forms. Notably, no scan, no scope and no spit sample are listed at all.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Clinical Research of Gastonia, Gastonia NC 28054.
- Drive from Charlotte: Gastonia is about 23 miles west, so roughly 30 minutes on I-85.
- Read this first: sleep apnea is common at this age and many people do not know they have it. So get that checked before you call, because it is the gate here.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
New Drug Against the Old One, and Nobody Gets a Dummy
PureTech / Drug
A reworked version of an approved scarring drug, tested head to head against that drug itself. Everyone here gets a real active treatment.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: there is no dummy pill in this study at all. Instead the question is blunt and useful, which is whether the new version beats the old one.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 40 or older with a confirmed diagnosis
- Also, you were told you had it no more than 7 years ago
- Besides that, A scan in the last year shows the classic scarring pattern
- Finally, your breathing test shows FVC at least 45 percent of predicted
Probably not a fit if: you have ever taken pirfenidone, even one dose. That is a permanent bar, and the drug has been standard care since 2014. Also, any smoking in the 3 months before screening rules you out.
- Placebo group: None at all. It is one real drug against another, split evenly, and nobody is told which.
- How long: At least 52 weeks blinded, and up to about 3 years in total depending on when you join.
- Clinic visits: Up to 10 in the first year, then one every 3 months after that.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Breathing tests at every visit, a chest scan at screening, and blood draws for liver and kidney checks. No scope and no spit sample.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Clinical Research of Rock Hill, Rock Hill SC 29732.
- Drive from Charlotte: Rock Hill is about 25 miles south, so roughly 30 minutes on I-77.
- Be clear on this one: you must come off your current scarring drug to take part. So that is the biggest trade on this page, and it is worth weighing before you call.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
For Scarring That Came From an Autoimmune Disease
Boehringer Ingelheim / Drug
The new pill approved last October, now tested in people whose lung scarring came from an autoimmune disease. It is built for those whose immune drugs did not stop the scarring.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: for this group the immune drugs go in and the lungs keep scarring anyway. So a study built only for them fills a gap that has sat open for years.
Who this study is looking for
- A specialist has diagnosed you with rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma or a related condition
- Also, A scan shows scarring across more than 10 percent of your lungs
- Besides that, your lungs have not improved on immune drugs over the past 15 months
- Finally, your FVC is at least 45 percent and your DLCO at least 25 percent
Probably not a fit if: a mental health history can rule you out here. Any suicidal behaviour in the past 2 years is a bar, and few people expect that in a lung study. Also, pirfenidone must be stopped 8 weeks before the first visit.
- Placebo group: Real tablet against a dummy, and the ratio is not published. However, your immune drugs carry on, and so does nintedanib if you take it.
- How long: About 8 to 13 months. Tablets twice a day for at least 26 weeks and up to a year.
- Clinic visits: About 9 to 10 site visits.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Chest scans at the start and at week 26, scored by a computer. Also, breathing tests at every visit, blood draws, and a mental health check at screening.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Onsite Clinical Solutions, Salisbury NC 28144.
- Drive from Charlotte: Salisbury is about 45 miles northeast, so roughly 45 minutes on I-85.
- Worth knowing: this is the one study here where your existing treatment carries on unchanged. So it is by far the gentlest of the three on that front.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Listed as recruiting, but closed to new people
This one reads as open and is not. So we separate it rather than counting it in the total.
Listed as Recruiting, and Not Actually Open
Avalyn Pharma / Extension
This reads as recruiting at a site north of the city. However, it takes only people who finished an earlier study of the same inhaled drug.
Payment is not published.
Read the details →More details
Why researchers are excited: we list it so the numbers make sense. Counting it as an open door would overstate what you can actually reach from the community.
Who this study is looking for
- You completed the treatment period of an earlier Avalyn study
- Also, you were on the full dose, whether real drug or dummy
- Besides that, there is no route in from outside that study
- Finally, also, people with IPF are excluded from it in this country
Probably not a fit if: you were never in the earlier study. That is the whole gate, and it is absolute.
- Placebo group: None. Everyone breathes in the real drug twice a day and knows it.
- How long: About 6 years on average, running to the end of 2031.
- Clinic visits: Not published on the public record.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: A mist machine twice a day at home, plus breathing tests, chest scans and blood work.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Piedmont HealthCare, Statesville NC 28625.
- Drive from Charlotte: Statesville is about 42 miles north, so roughly 45 minutes on I-77.
- Why we show this: other directories count it in the headline number. We separate it, because a door you cannot walk through is not a door.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Not sure which one fits you?
First, answer a few quick health questions. Then we check you against every study we track. Also, no account and no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Changing in Pulmonary Fibrosis
Ten years with two drugs. Then two approvals in fifteen months.
What Is Happening in the Lungs
Your lungs hold millions of tiny air sacs, and oxygen crosses their thin walls into your blood. In pulmonary fibrosis those walls turn thick, stiff and scarred. Stiff lungs cannot stretch, so you get short of breath and less oxygen gets through. Also, the scarring does not go away, which is the hard part to hear and the reason treatment aims to slow it.
IPF Is One Type, Not the Whole Thing
Interstitial lung disease is the umbrella term, and it covers about 200 conditions that scar or inflame lung tissue. IPF is the most common single type, and idiopathic just means nobody can find a cause. Others do have a known trigger, such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, mould, bird protein or workplace dust. So which label you carry decides which studies you can join, and the split is not intuitive.
The Two Tests That Decide Everything
The first is a detailed chest scan, called a high resolution CT. It shows the pattern of scarring and how much of the lung it covers. The second is a pair of breathing tests. FVC is how much air you can blow out, and DLCO is how well oxygen crosses into blood. So every study here screens on those numbers, and knowing yours before you call saves everyone time.
Ten Years With Only Two Drugs
For about a decade the whole cupboard held two medicines, both approved in 2014. They slow the loss of lung function. However, neither reverses scarring, both are hard on the stomach, and neither was shown to help people live longer. So a great many people simply stopped taking them, and there was nothing else to move to.
That Drought Ended in October 2025
A new pill was approved for IPF on 7 October 2025, the first genuinely new drug in over ten years. It works in a different way from both older drugs. In its main trial across 1177 people, lung function fell by about 106 millilitres over a year on the higher dose, against 170 on a dummy. Then in December 2025 it was approved for progressive scarring as well.
What Doctors Made of It
As Justin Oldham of the University of Michigan put it, in a perfect world where payers are not an issue he sees the drug becoming a first line agent, because of the results and also the tolerability and safety. Amy Hajari Case of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation called the second approval an important step forward that brings new momentum to care. Meanwhile, the shelf now holds three drugs rather than two.
Which Changed the Studies Themselves
The effect shows up in the fine print of every protocol here. Several now name the new pill alongside the two older drugs when they define stable background treatment. However, one study bars anyone who has taken it in the past 60 days. So the approval that helped you may also be the thing that shuts a study door, and that is worth checking early.
The Cough Nobody Was Treating
People with lung scarring often cough dozens of times an hour, all day, for years. It wrecks sleep, cracks ribs, causes accidents and drives people out of company. There is no approved drug for it. So one study here ignores lung function entirely and goes after the cough instead, measured by a device that counts every one.
Research Sites Near Charlotte
Research clinics in Gastonia, Rock Hill, Salisbury and Statesville carry these between them. But sites add new studies all the time, so it is worth knowing what sits near you.
Atrium Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / 161+ active studies
Crohn’s, Heart Failure, COPD, Dementia, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension
Charlotte’s biggest health system. It is tied to Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Also, it runs far more trials than anyone else nearby.
Visit Website →
American Health Research Network
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 25 to 30+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Type 2 Diabetes
Led by Dr. Selwyn Spangenthal. It is the biggest private lung research group in Charlotte. Specifically, it has 4 offices: Charlotte, Rock Hill, Lake Norman, and Charleston.
Visit Website →
Monroe Biomedical Research
Monroe, NC / 17+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Hypertension, Obesity, Ulcerative Colitis
Notably, one of the 5 busiest research sites in the country. Its 6,300 sq ft space can host overnight stays. It is also an SCRS Global Impact Partner.
Visit Website →
Clinical Research of Gastonia
Gastonia, NC / 11+ active studies
Asthma, COPD, Chronic Cough, Idiopathic Hypersomnia
Led by Dr. Anup Banerjee. Its 3,500 sq ft space sits next to CaroMont Regional Medical Center. Also, it has been running for over 10 years.
Visit Website →
OnSite Clinical Solutions
Ballantyne, NC 28277 / 10+ active studies
Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn’s, COPD, Heart Failure, Atopic Dermatitis
It works with Charlotte doctors in heart, gut, skin, nerve, and joint care. Besides, it runs studies from Phase I through Phase IV.
Visit Website →
Flourish Research
Matthews, NC 28105 / 4+ active studies
Alzheimer’s Disease, Early Alzheimer’s, Alzheimer’s-Related Psychosis
Led by Dr. M. Reza Bolouri. He has 20+ years in Alzheimer’s research. The site is an Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence. In fact, its network has finished 5,500+ trials.
Visit Website →
New Hope Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 4+ active studies
Major Depression, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder
Led by Dr. Kurian Abraham. It runs Phase I through IV studies and has 30 beds for overnight stays. Its last FDA audit came back clean. Also, it has finished 200+ brain studies.
Visit Website →
Queen City Clinical Research
SouthPark, NC 28211 / 2+ active studies
Chronic Pain, Chronic Migraine, Osteoarthritis
Led by Dr. Leonardo Kapural, a former Cleveland Clinic professor. Notably, he has written 200+ journal articles. On top of that, many call this the biggest pain research site in the country.
Visit Website →
Novant Health
Multiple Charlotte locations / Several active studies
Cardiovascular Disease, Obesity, Hypertension
One of the biggest health systems in the Carolinas. Its Heart and Vascular Institute runs heart studies and sees a lot of patients.
Visit Website →
DLVSC
4 Charlotte-area offices / 1+ active studies
Eczema, Psoriasis, Rosacea
Led by Dr. Gilly Munavalli. This award-winning skin practice owns 50+ FDA-approved lasers and devices. Also, it has its own research team.
Visit Website →
DelRicht Research
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Bipolar Disorder, Bipolar Depression
Part of a national network of mental health research sites. Currently, it runs the azetukalner bipolar depression trial in Charlotte. Previously, it ran other mental health studies.
Visit Website →
TMS of the Carolinas
South Charlotte, NC 28210 / 1+ active studies
Major Depression, Treatment-Resistant Depression
A specialty site for brain stimulation care. It runs the fast TMS study that packs 6 weeks into 2.
Visit Website →What to Expect in a Lung Scarring Study
New to studies? Here is how one works, step by step.
01
Prescreening
First comes a short phone call or online form. Also, it takes about 10 to 15 minutes. The staff check whether you might fit. Then they tell you what is open.
02
Screening Visit
Next the clinic runs the tests that decide it, which usually means blood work. Also, they go through the consent form line by line, and you can bring somebody with you.
03
Treatment Period
Then the study begins. So you take the study drug or the placebo on the agreed schedule. Meanwhile, your own doctor keeps managing everything else.
04
Follow-Up
Finally, there is a check in period at the end. Also, your own doctor gets the results, and you can stop at any point without affecting your care.
Pulmonary Fibrosis Trial FAQs
Real answers about lung scarring studies near Charlotte NC.
Is there a study for this near Charlotte?
Yes, three are open to new patients, in Gastonia, Rock Hill and Salisbury. Notably, one goes after the cough, one tests a new drug against an old one with no dummy pill, and one is for scarring caused by an autoimmune disease. However, a fourth reads as recruiting and takes only people already in an earlier study, so we list it separately.
What is the difference between IPF and the other kinds?
IPF is one type of scarring lung disease, and idiopathic just means no cause was found. The rest have a known trigger, such as rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, mould, bird protein or a workplace dust. So the label matters more than it sounds. In fact, one study here is open only to IPF and another bars it outright.
Will I have to stop my current drug?
It depends entirely on the study, and this is the question to lead with. One requires you to come off your scarring drug for the whole trial, which is a serious thing to agree to. Another keeps your treatment exactly as it is. Also, a third asks only that you have been on a steady dose for six weeks first.
What are FVC and DLCO?
They are the two numbers every study screens on, so they are worth knowing. FVC is how much air you can blow out in one go, written as a percentage of what is expected for you. DLCO measures how well oxygen crosses from your lungs into your blood. Generally, these studies want FVC at 40 to 45 percent or above.
Is there anything new for the cough?
Yes, and it is the first serious attempt at it. Nothing is approved for the cough that comes with lung scarring, even though people rank it as their worst symptom. One study here goes after it directly, with a device that counts every cough across a full day. However, a sleep apnea diagnosis rules you out of that one.
Did anything actually change recently?
Yes. A new pill was approved for IPF in October 2025, the first in over ten years. It was then approved for progressive scarring in December 2025. So the shelf now holds three drugs rather than two. Meanwhile, that approval also created a new exclusion, because one study bars anyone who took it in the past 60 days.
Why is one of them listed as closed?
Because it reads as recruiting and is not, and we would rather say so. That study takes only people who finished an earlier trial of the same inhaled drug. There is no route into it from the community at all. So we list it separately rather than counting it, because a door you cannot walk through is not a door.
Do I need a recent chest scan?
For most of these, yes, and it needs to be recent. Three of the studies want a detailed scan from the past 12 months, read again by their own central expert. So your own radiologist agreeing is not always enough. Also, if your scan is older than a year, ask about that on the first call rather than the fifth.
Does it cost anything to be on the list?
No. There is no cost, and no insurance is needed. Tether is a nonprofit list, so we do not run studies and we are not paid to send you anywhere. Also, being on the list never enrolls anyone in anything. You would always call the clinic yourself.
Where can I get lung care near Charlotte NC?
Atrium Health and Novant Health both run lung clinics across the metro. Also, ask for a lung specialist rather than general care, because this needs a detailed scan and proper breathing tests. Generally, your own doctor can refer you. Meanwhile, if nobody has ordered you a high resolution scan, that is the thing to ask for first.
Ready to Explore a Study?
Check your eligibility, or just reach out to our Charlotte team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.
← Back to All Clinical TrialsSources
- OCEAN-1 nalbuphine ER study for cough in pulmonary fibrosis, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07671911
- SURPASS-IPF deupirfenidone study, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07284602
- SARD-ILD nerandomilast study in autoimmune interstitial lung disease, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06806592
- SAIL open label extension of inhaled pirfenidone, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06951217
- TETON-PPF inhaled treprostinil study in progressive pulmonary fibrosis, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05943535
- American Journal of Managed Care: FDA approves nerandomilast for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, with comment from Justin M. Oldham, MD
- Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation: FDA approves nerandomilast for progressive pulmonary fibrosis, with comment from Amy Hajari Case, MD
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 16, 2026. One long term extension study reads as recruiting but accepts only people who finished an earlier study of the same drug, so it is listed separately rather than counted as open. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.