CHARLOTTE, NC
Gout Clinical Trials
Four gout studies are enrolling near Charlotte NC, which makes this one of the busier metros anywhere for it. Notably, three of the four have no dummy group in the usual sense, because the comparison is a real drug. Compensation is provided for eligible participants.
4
Open Near Charlotte
3
With No Dummy Group
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, here is the honest picture. Four studies are open here and most have no dummy group. So here is how to use this page.
- Ask for your urate number. Because under 6 is the target, and under 5 if you have lumps, and studies gate on it at two separate visits.
- Ask whether your allopurinol was ever raised. Notably, three of these studies need 300 milligrams a day or more to count you as treated.
- Mention any kidney stone in the last year. In fact, that single fact rules you out of three of the four studies here.
- Finally, tap the button. Then we check you against every study we track and tell you which ones fit.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
Studies Open Near Charlotte Right Now
Four of them. Three compare a new tablet against real allopurinol, and one tests a shot instead of a two hour drip.
Three tablet studies, and none has a plain dummy group
In all three the comparison is real allopurinol or a crossover design, so everyone receives an active drug for most or all of the study.
A Different Kind of Tablet, and No Dummy Group
Crystalys Therapeutics / Late stage tablet
This is for people already on allopurinol whose uric acid is still too high. Allopurinol stops your body making urate. This new tablet makes your kidneys get rid of more of it. So it is a completely different route to the same target. Notably, there is no dummy group, because the comparison is real allopurinol at a proper dose. Two sites run it, at Charlotte and Shelby.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: a third of people never reach target on allopurinol however high the dose goes. Meanwhile, everyone in this study receives a real urate lowering drug throughout.
Who this study is looking for
- Gout diagnosed at least a year ago
- Also, two or more attacks in the last twelve months
- Besides that, already on allopurinol at 300mg a day or more for three months
- Finally, A urate level of 6.5 or higher at both screening visits
- Also, aged 18 to 75
Probably not a fit if: a kidney stone in the last year rules you out. That matters because this drug pushes more urate through the kidney. Also, being unable to take either colchicine or an anti inflammatory for flare cover.
- Placebo group: None in the usual sense. The comparison is real allopurinol, so everyone gets an active drug.
- How long: About sixteen months, with the main measure at week 24.
- Clinic visits: Roughly 16 to 20 in person, since urate is drawn at every visit through week 68. That is derived from the record rather than stated.
- Phone calls: None published.
- Most invasive part: Blood tests at almost every visit. So there are no injections, no scans and no procedures.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: DelRicht Research, Charlotte NC 28210; and Shelby Clinical Research, Shelby NC 28150.
- Drive from Charlotte: Charlotte is the nearer site. Shelby is about 45 miles west, so roughly 50 minutes.
- The 300mg rule is the gate. A great many people sit on 100mg for years and would not qualify. So ask whether your dose has ever been pushed to target.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
For the Chalky Lumps, and They Can Shrink
Crystalys Therapeutics / Late stage tablet
Tophi are the chalky lumps of urate crystal that build under the skin on hands, feet and ankles. People assume they are permanent, and they are not. This measures whether the lumps actually get smaller, not just whether the blood number falls. Again there is no dummy, because the comparison is real allopurinol. However, you do not need to be on allopurinol already to join this one.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: the lumps are what people find most distressing, and they are rarely measured properly. Meanwhile, dissolving them needs a lower urate target than simply preventing attacks.
Who this study is looking for
- Gout diagnosed at least a year ago
- Also, at least one lump on hands, wrists, feet or ankles
- Besides that, that lump between 5 and 30 millimetres across
- Finally, A urate level of 5 or higher at both screening visits
- Also, aged 18 to 75
Probably not a fit if: a kidney stone in the last year rules you out. Also, being unable to take colchicine or an anti inflammatory. Notably, a lump on your ear or elbow does not count, and one over three centimetres is too big.
- Placebo group: None in the usual sense. The comparison is real allopurinol, so everyone gets an active drug.
- How long: About eighteen months, with the main measure at week 24.
- Clinic visits: Roughly 18 to 24 in person. The record says flares are counted each month through week 80, which sets a monthly rhythm.
- Phone calls: None published.
- Most invasive part: Blood tests plus measuring and photographing each lump at every visit. So that handling, rather than the tablet, is what people find wearing.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: DelRicht Research, Charlotte NC 28210; Shelby Clinical Research, Shelby NC 28150; and Greensboro NC.
- Drive from Charlotte: Charlotte is the nearer site. Shelby is about 45 miles west.
- Get your lumps measured first. Between 5 and 30 millimetres is the window, and a tape measure at your own clinic answers it in a minute.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
For People the Usual Tablets Have Failed
Crystalys Therapeutics / Mid stage tablet
This is for the group nobody has an answer for. You reacted badly to allopurinol, or febuxostat was not an option, or the drip stopped working. It tests whether the kidney route tablet can control you when the usual route is closed. Half the group gets a dummy first, and the design suggests everyone gets the drug eventually. The site is at Shelby, and it is the only one in either Carolina.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: people who cannot take the standard tablets are usually left with nothing but flare treatment. Meanwhile, this study exists exactly for them.
Who this study is looking for
- Gout diagnosed at least a year ago
- Also, plus a reaction to allopurinol or febuxostat, or a failed course of the drip treatment
- Besides that, A urate level above 6 but under 10.5 at both screening visits
- Finally, aged 18 to 75
Probably not a fit if: a urate above 10.5 rules you out, which surprises people. So this one has a ceiling as well as a floor. Also, a kidney stone in the last year, and a positive drug screen.
- Placebo group: Yes at first. However, the two period design suggests the dummy group crosses to the drug later, so ask the site.
- How long: About ten months, with the main measure at week 24.
- Clinic visits: Roughly 11 to 14 in person, on a four week rhythm derived from the published timepoints.
- Phone calls: None published.
- Most invasive part: Blood tests, and nothing else. So this is the lightest of the four studies here.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Shelby Clinical Research, Shelby NC 28150.
- Drive from Charlotte: Shelby is about 45 miles west, so roughly 50 minutes on US-74.
- Ask whether the dummy group crosses over. The record hints that it does, and that single answer changes the decision entirely.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
And one that could take the drip out of the last resort treatment
Six sites run this one around Charlotte, which is unusual. Both groups get the real drug at full dose, so nothing is withheld.
A Shot Instead of a Two Hour Drip
Amgen / Late stage
Pegloticase is the last resort drug, an enzyme that shreds urate when tablets have failed. Today it means a two hour drip every fortnight. This asks whether a shot under the skin works just as well. Both groups get the real drug at full dose, so there is no dummy arm.
Payment is not published.
Check eligibility →More details
Why researchers are excited: if the shot works, this treatment escapes the infusion suite. Meanwhile, no group here goes without the drug.
Who this study is looking for
- Gout that has not been controlled by tablets
- Also, able to take colchicine or an anti inflammatory for flare cover
- Besides that, able to take methotrexate alongside it
- Finally, willing to attend every two weeks for the full study
- Also, aged 18 or over
Probably not a fit if: a G6PD deficiency rules you out, and it is tested at screening. That is more common in people of African, Mediterranean and South Asian background. Also, kidney function below 40, an HbA1c over 8, and any previous course of this drug.
- Placebo group: None. Both groups get the real drug at full dose, and only the route is random.
- How long: About eleven months, with the main measure at month six.
- Clinic visits: Roughly 26 to 30 in person, since dosing is fortnightly and month six needs five weekly blood tests.
- Phone calls: None published.
- Most invasive part: A drip or a shot every fortnight, plus weekly methotrexate at home. Also, you will be watched after dosing.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Joint and Muscle Research and Onsite Clinical Solutions in Charlotte, plus Denver NC, Salisbury and two clinics at Shelby.
- Drive from Charlotte: Six sites, two inside Charlotte and the rest at Denver NC, Salisbury and Shelby.
- Count the trips honestly. Every two weeks for eleven months is the real commitment, and it is why people drop out.
- 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 tell you which studies near Charlotte you may fit. No account, no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Changing in Gout Care
Two new drug routes at once, after a decade in which allopurinol was more or less the whole conversation.
It Is a Plumbing Problem, Not a Food Problem
About nine in ten people with high urate do not get rid of enough of it through the kidneys. So diet moves your number by a fraction, and the right tablet moves it by two or three. Meanwhile, being told to cut out red meat and beer and nothing else is undertreatment. Notably, that advice has cost a lot of people a lot of joints.
Ask for Your Urate Level in Milligrams
The target is under 6, and under 5 if you have visible lumps. So ask for the number rather than being told it was fine. In fact, one study on this page uses 6 as the target and another uses 5, for exactly that reason. Also, if nobody has told you your number, nobody is treating you to target.
One Hundred Milligrams Is a Starting Dose
Every late stage study on this page requires 300 milligrams a day or more to count as treated. So a great many people sit on 100 for years, keep flaring, and are told the drug does not work for them. Meanwhile, the honest question to ask is whether your dose was ever pushed to target. Generally, it can go to 600.
Flares Get Worse When Treatment Starts
Dissolving old crystals stirs them up, so the first months on a new tablet are often rougher. That is the drug working rather than failing. So every study here insists on flare cover with colchicine, an anti inflammatory or a low steroid dose. In fact, stopping allopurinol because you flared is the commonest self inflicted setback in gout.
There Are Two Different Drug Classes
One class stops your body making urate, and that is allopurinol and febuxostat. The other makes your kidneys excrete more of it, and that is the newer tablet being tested here. So if one class failed or you could not tolerate it, ask about the other by name. Notably, most people have never been told a second class exists.
The Lumps Are Not Permanent
Tophi can dissolve if urate is held low enough for long enough. So ask to have yours measured in millimetres and written down. Meanwhile, one study here takes lumps between 5 and 30 millimetres and measures whether they shrink. Also, that measurement is something your own clinic can do today.
Your Urate Can Read Normal During an Attack
Levels often drop at the peak of a flare, which is exactly when people get tested. So one normal reading in an emergency room does not rule gout out. In fact, that is why studies insist on two separate screening measurements. Notably, the gold standard is crystals seen under a microscope, or urate seen on a scan.
Kidneys Decide Which Study You Fit
The newer tablets push urate through the kidney, so a stone in the last year rules you out of all three. The drip treatment needs kidney function above 40. So ask for your kidney number and whether you have ever had a stone. Meanwhile, those two facts route you to completely different studies.
Where Things Actually Stand Locally
Four studies are open around Charlotte, which makes it one of the busier gout metros anywhere. Three of the four have no dummy group in the usual sense, because the comparison is a real drug. However, the Midlands has only the walking study, and the nearest gout tablet study is about ninety miles away. Notably, a state level search would have found only half of the Charlotte ones.
Gout Help Near You
Ask for your urate number and your kidney function, because those two decide almost everything. Also, ask whether your allopurinol dose has ever been raised to target. Finally, if you have lumps, ask to have them measured and written down. Meanwhile, join the list and we will call you when something new opens here.
Research Sites Near Charlotte
DelRicht Research, Joint and Muscle Research, Onsite Clinical Solutions and two clinics at Shelby all run gout studies here, with more at Denver NC and Salisbury.
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 Gout 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.
Gout Trial FAQs
Real answers about gout studies near Charlotte NC.
Is there a study for this near Charlotte?
Yes, four of them, which is oddly busy. Three compare a new kidney route tablet against real allopurinol, so there is no plain dummy group in those. The fourth tests whether the last resort drip can be given as a shot instead, and it runs at six sites around the metro. Notably, a state level search finds only two of the four.
Is gout caused by what I eat?
Far less than people are told. About nine in ten people with high urate simply do not clear enough of it through the kidneys. So diet moves your number by a fraction, while the right tablet moves it by two or three. Meanwhile, being told to cut out red meat and beer and nothing else is undertreatment. Notably, that advice has cost a great many people a great many joints.
What number should I ask for?
Your serum urate, in milligrams per decilitre. The target is under 6, and under 5 if you have visible lumps. So if nobody has told you your number, nobody is treating you to target. In fact, one study on this page uses 6 as its target and another uses 5, for exactly that reason.
I take allopurinol and still get attacks. Why?
Very often because the dose was never raised. Every late stage study here requires 300 milligrams a day or more to count as treated, and it can go to 600. So a great many people sit on 100 for years and are told the drug does not work for them. Meanwhile, the honest question is whether your dose has ever been pushed to target.
Why did I flare when I started treatment?
Because dissolving old crystals stirs them up, and that is the drug working rather than failing. So every study here insists on flare cover with colchicine, an anti inflammatory or a low steroid dose. Notably, stopping allopurinol because you flared is the commonest self inflicted setback in gout. Generally, the rough patch settles.
Is there more than one kind of gout tablet?
Yes, and most people have never been told. One class stops your body making urate, which is allopurinol and febuxostat. The other makes your kidneys get rid of more of it, and that is the newer class being tested here. So if one class failed or you could not tolerate it, ask about the other by name.
Can the lumps go away?
Yes. Tophi are not permanent, and they dissolve if urate is held low enough for long enough. So ask to have yours measured in millimetres and written down. Meanwhile, one study here takes lumps between 5 and 30 millimetres and measures whether they shrink. Also, that measurement takes a minute at your own clinic.
My urate was normal during an attack. Does that rule gout out?
No, and this catches people out constantly. Levels often fall at the peak of a flare, which is exactly when people get tested. So one normal reading in an emergency room proves nothing. In fact, that is why studies insist on two separate screening measurements weeks apart.
Does it cost anything to check?
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, checking never enrolls anyone in anything. You would always call the clinic yourself.
Where can I get help near Charlotte?
Atrium Health and Novant Health both run rheumatology services across the metro. Also, ask your own doctor for your urate number and whether your dose has ever been raised to target. Generally, a rheumatology referral is the right route if attacks keep coming. Meanwhile, ask about flare cover before starting or changing any urate lowering tablet.
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
- A new tablet against real allopurinol, at Charlotte and Shelby, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07089875
- The same tablet measured against the lumps, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07089888
- A shot instead of a drip, at six sites around Charlotte, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07388498
- For people the usual tablets have failed, at Shelby, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07535034
- DREAM, a walking study at Columbia that names gout, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06880653
- A tablet for an attack in progress, at Summerville, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05658575
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 17, 2026. A state level search for this condition in North Carolina returned two studies; the true Charlotte metro answer is four, and the two missing ones were found only by sweeping individual towns. Two of the studies listed here carry nine and ten withdrawn site rows respectively under a recruiting headline, though none of those withdrawn rows is in the Carolinas. One nearby study lists a site at Denver, which in this case is Denver North Carolina in Lincoln County rather than Denver Colorado; three other gout studies match the Colorado one. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.