COLUMBIA, SC
Chronic Cough Clinical Trials
No chronic cough study is enrolling in Columbia, and we would rather say so plainly. However, a short four week study sits under two hours away, and there is one free thing to check on your own medicine list today. Compensation is provided for eligible participants once a study opens here.
0
Open in the Metro
0
Approved Drugs Exist
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, the honest picture. Nothing is open here, and no drug is approved for this in the whole country. So the most useful thing on this page is not a study.
- Check your own medicine list for a pill ending in pril. Because that whole family causes cough, and switching is free and fast. Never stop one yourself.
- Ask which kind of cough you have. Notably, refractory means a cause was found and treated, while unexplained means nothing was found, and every study uses those words.
- Ask for cough suppression therapy by name. In fact, it is the best supported thing you can actually get this year, and it is badly under referred.
- Finally, tap the button. Then we tell you the day a cough study opens near you.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
Cough Studies Open Anywhere Nearby
Notably, the Charleston one runs about four weeks and involves a single shoulder injection. So it is unusually light.
What is open anywhere near here, and where
Nothing is open in this metro. However, the Charleston one is short, light and under two hours away.
A Shot in the Shoulder, Testing a Simple Idea
Medical University of South Carolina / Drug
There is a treatment where steroid is injected into the neck, near a nerve, and it works well. However, it needs a specialist few people can reach. This asks whether a plain shoulder shot does the same job.
Payment is not published. However, the whole thing runs about 4 weeks.
Read the details →More details
Why researchers are excited: the team’s own earlier work found 80 percent improved with the neck injection against 14 percent on a dummy. So if a shoulder shot matches it, any clinic in the country could offer this.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 18 or older, with a cough that is refractory or unexplained
- Also, your chest X ray in the last 6 months was normal
- Besides that, your breathing tests have been normal since the cough started
- Finally, your reflux, if you have it, is properly controlled
Probably not a fit if: you take a blood pressure pill from the ACE or ARB families. Both are excluded here, which is broader than most studies. Also, gabapentin or amitriptyline taken for your cough rules you out, and so does a blood sugar level above 7.
- Placebo group: Real steroid against a salt water shot, and the ratio is not published. You are not told which you had.
- How long: About 4 weeks, which is by far the shortest thing we list anywhere.
- Clinic visits: About 2 or 3. A first visit, the injection, and a check at 1 to 4 weeks after.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: One injection into the shoulder muscle, the same as a flu shot. Also, two questionnaires. Notably, no cough monitor, no blood draws, no camera and no scan are listed.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston SC 29403.
- Drive from Columbia: Charleston is about 115 miles southeast and Atlanta about 215 miles west.
- Worth knowing: never stop a blood pressure pill yourself to qualify. Ask your prescriber to change it for you, or leave this one alone.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
The Speech Therapy That Works, Studied Properly at Last
University of Montana, with Emory / Behaviour and drug
Cough suppression therapy teaches you to spot the urge to cough and interrupt it. It works and it is badly under used. This study adds an inhaled substance and scans the brain to learn how.
Payment is not published.
Read the details →More details
Why researchers are excited: the field just lost its lead drug, so non drug treatment is now the most credible route. Also, everyone randomised gets the real therapy.
Who this study is looking for
- Age 18 to 99, with a refractory or unexplained cough
- Also, normal chest imaging in the last 2 years
- Besides that, normal breathing tests in the last 2 years
- Finally, your voice box has been looked at with a camera in that time
Probably not a fit if: you have already had cough suppression therapy. The best existing treatment is itself the bar. Also, you cannot live or work close to another person with a chronic cough, because cough spreads socially and would muddy the readings.
- Placebo group: No true dummy arm. Everyone randomised gets the real therapy, and the draw decides only whether the inhaled substance is active.
- How long: About 19 weeks, with 12 therapy sessions in that time.
- Clinic visits: 16 in total. 14 in clinic and 2 online, and it is the one study here that publishes the number.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: You are made to cough on purpose, by breathing in rising doses of citric acid and chilli pepper extract. Also, a brain scan, a wrist worn cough monitor and breathing tests.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Emory University, Atlanta GA 30322.
- Drive from Columbia: Charleston is about 115 miles southeast and Atlanta about 215 miles west.
- Read the washout list first: ACE blood pressure pills, cough medicines, gabapentin and inhalers all have to stop.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
Not sure which one fits you?
First, answer a few quick health questions. Then we keep them on file. Finally, we call you when a cough study opens near Columbia. No account, no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Happening With Chronic Cough
The lead drug was killed in July 2026. What is left is not a pill.
When a Cough Becomes This
A cough lasting 8 weeks or more in an adult counts as chronic. Most have a cause that can be found, such as asthma, reflux, drip from the nose, smoking, or a blood pressure pill from the ACE family. Treat the cause and the cough goes. However, for a large minority it does not, and those people fall into two groups that every study names.
Refractory or Unexplained
Refractory means a cause was found, it was treated properly, and you are still coughing. Unexplained means everything was tested, nothing was found, and you are still coughing. So making your doctor say which one you have focuses the whole conversation. Also, every study in this field uses those two words exactly.
It Is a Nerve Problem, Not a Lung Problem
This is the single most useful thing to understand, because it explains why inhalers and antibiotics did nothing. The nerves that trigger coughing become over sensitive, much as nerves do in long term pain. So cold air, perfume, laughing or a phone call set you off when they set nobody else off. Meanwhile, the cost is real, from broken ribs and leaking when you cough to giving up meetings entirely.
The Free Thing to Check First
Look at your own medicine list for a blood pressure pill ending in pril. Lisinopril, ramipril, enalapril and their relatives all cause cough in a meaningful share of people. So ask your prescriber whether you can switch, because this is fast and it costs nothing. Notably, never stop a blood pressure pill on your own.
A Decade of Hope Rested on One Idea
There is a receptor on the cough nerves. When tissue is stressed it releases a chemical, that chemical hits the receptor, the nerve fires and you cough. Block the receptor and you turn the volume down on the whole system. Two drugs carried that idea. So for ten years the field expected an approved cough pill to arrive.
The First One Was Rejected Twice
The FDA turned it down in January 2022, after an expert panel voted against it, and turned it down again on 20 December 2023. Both rejections were about whether it worked rather than whether it was safe. However, it is approved and sold outside this country, including in Japan, so your doctor here still cannot prescribe it.
And the Second Was Dropped in July 2026
One large company had paid roughly 2 billion dollars for the second drug. On 17 July 2026 it published two final stage trials. One worked and the other did not. Safety was fine, and it had largely solved the taste problem that dogged the first drug. The company’s own conclusion was that the limited benefit shown was unlikely to change patient care, so it stopped work on it.
So Ask for the Therapy by Name
As of today there is no approved drug in this country for a cough that is refractory or unexplained. What does exist is cough suppression therapy, taught by a speech and language therapist, which trains you to spot the urge and interrupt it. It has evidence behind it, no side effects, and it is badly under referred. So ask for it by name rather than waiting.
Research Sites Near Columbia
Lung and ENT clinics across the Midlands handle care, while the nearest research sites are at Charleston and Atlanta. But sites add new studies all the time, so it is worth knowing what is near you.
Prisma Health Richland Hospital
Downtown Columbia / 37+ active studies
Cancer, blood disorders, broad hospital research
The flagship Prisma Health hospital in the Midlands. Also, by far the biggest trial operation in the Columbia metro.
Visit Website →
University of South Carolina
Columbia / 27+ active studies
Stroke recovery, physical activity, community health
Notably, a research university that runs federally funded health studies across the Midlands. Specifically, topics range from stroke rehab to disease prevention.
Visit Website →
Bogan Sleep Consultants
Columbia / 7+ active studies
Narcolepsy, sleep disorders
One of the best known private sleep research sites in the Southeast. Also, it has run sleep trials for decades.
Prisma Health Midlands Cardiovascular
Columbia / 4+ active studies
Cardiovascular disease, heart failure
The heart and vessel research arm of Prisma Health in the Midlands. So it is the natural home for cholesterol trials in Columbia.
Visit Website →
Prisma Health Children’s Hospital, Midlands
Columbia / 4+ active studies
Pediatric growth, cystic fibrosis
Basically, the Midlands hub for children’s research inside the Prisma Health system.
Visit Website →
Columbia Dermatology & Aesthetics
Columbia / 4+ active studies
Hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriasis, obesity
A skin care practice with its own research team. It runs both skin and weight studies.
Velocity Clinical Research, Columbia
Columbia / Multiple active studies
COPD, skin conditions, vaccines
Part of one of the biggest research site networks in the country. Besides, it is just the kind of site the huge outcome trials lean on.
Visit Website →
Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center
Garners Ferry Road, Columbia / 2+ active studies
Atherosclerosis, liver disease
Columbia’s VA medical center runs studies, including ones on clogged arteries. For veterans, it is often the first door.
Visit Website →
Objective Health, Columbia
Columbia / 2+ active studies
Celiac disease, fatty liver disease
Once called Columbia Digestive Health Research. Now it is part of the Objective Health network. Specifically, it runs gut and liver studies, including fatty liver trials.
Columbia Gastroenterology Associates
Columbia / Active studies
Digestive conditions
A long-running gut health practice. Also, it takes part in digestive trials around Columbia.
What to Expect in a Chronic Cough 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.
Chronic Cough Trial FAQs
Real answers about chronic cough studies near Columbia SC.
Is there a study for this near Columbia?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Nothing is recruiting in Columbia, West Columbia, Lexington, Irmo, Cayce, Sumter or Orangeburg. However, a short study at Charleston runs about four weeks and involves a single injection into the shoulder, which makes it the lightest thing we list anywhere. Also, a therapy study runs at Atlanta, and everyone randomised in it gets the real therapy.
Is there an approved drug for this?
No, and this is the plainest fact on the page. As of today there is no drug approved in this country for a cough that is refractory or unexplained. One candidate was rejected by the FDA twice, in January 2022 and December 2023, on whether it worked. Also, the other was dropped by its company on 17 July 2026 after one final stage trial worked and the other did not.
What happened to the cough pill I read about?
It was dropped, and the coverage you read is out of date. One large company had paid roughly 2 billion dollars for it. On 17 July 2026 it reported that one of two final stage trials failed, and concluded that the limited benefit shown was unlikely to change patient care. So it stopped work on the drug, even though safety had been fine.
Why did the inhalers and antibiotics do nothing?
Because this is a nerve problem rather than a lung problem, and that reframing explains almost everything. The nerves that trigger coughing become over sensitive, much as nerves do in long term pain. So things that make nobody else cough will set you off. Meanwhile, treatments aimed at the lungs are aimed at the wrong place.
What can I actually get this year?
Ask for cough suppression therapy, taught by a speech and language therapist, and ask for it by name. It trains you to recognise the urge to cough and interrupt it. It has evidence behind it, it has no side effects, and it is badly under referred. Also, some specialists use nerve calming medicines off label, though none is approved for cough.
Was there ever anything closer?
Yes, and quite recently, which is the frustrating part. Two research sites north of here, at Gastonia and Rock Hill, ran a refractory cough study during this year. Both are now closed to new enrolment, and nothing replaced them. So the nearest option is now Charleston, which is short and light but is still a drive.
What is the free thing to check first?
Your own medicine list. Look for a blood pressure pill ending in pril, such as lisinopril, ramipril or enalapril. That whole family causes cough in a meaningful share of people, and switching often fixes it. So ask your prescriber whether you can change. However, never stop a blood pressure pill on your own.
What is the 24 hour cough monitor?
It is how drug studies actually measure you, so it is worth knowing about beforehand. A small recorder with a microphone on your collar and a second one taped to your breastbone, worn for a full day. Software then counts every cough, and the number is coughs per hour. Notably, people are often screen failed here, because the monitor counts fewer coughs than they expected.
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 care for this near Columbia SC?
Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center both run lung and ENT services across the Midlands. Also, ask specifically for a speech and language therapist who does cough suppression therapy, because that is the treatment with evidence behind it and it is rarely offered unprompted. Your own doctor can refer you. Meanwhile, check your own medicine list for a pill ending in pril before you do anything else.
Ready to Explore a Study?
Check your eligibility, or just reach out to our Columbia team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.
← Back to All Clinical TrialsSources
- Intramuscular steroid injection for unexplained chronic cough, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06634823
- CoughLESS behavioural cough suppression therapy study, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06960759
- OCEAN-1 nalbuphine ER for cough in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, listed here only to be flagged as not a chronic cough study, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07671911
- FAST-COUGH at UNC Chapel Hill, listed as not yet recruiting, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07566117
- Nocion ASPIRE, whose Gastonia and Rock Hill sites are now closed to enrolment, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06504446
- CALM-2 camlipixant phase 3 study, now listed as active and not recruiting after the programme was stopped, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05600777
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 16, 2026. One study with a Gastonia site reads as a chronic cough trial but enrols only people diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, so it is shown separately and is not counted here. Two refractory cough sites that ran inside the Charlotte metro this year are now closed to enrolment. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.