CHARLOTTE, NC

Sleep Apnea Clinical Trials

2 paid sleep apnea studies are enrolling near Charlotte NC, and they run at the same address. Notably, one needs you off CPAP and the other needs you on it, so one question decides which. Compensation is provided for eligible participants.

Enrolling Now

Question Routes You

+/- $100

Per Visit

New here? Read how this page works

First, one question sorts this page faster than anything else, and it is not about your diagnosis. So here is the order to work through.

Answer the CPAP question first. Because whether you use it, gave up on it, or refused it decides which study can take you more than anything else.
Find your apnea score. Notably, nearly every study here needs 15 or more per hour, so a reading of 12 will not qualify.
Count the lab nights before you agree. In fact, one study here needs three of them, each after seven nights without your CPAP.
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 2 Sleep Apnea Studies Enrolling Near Charlotte

Notably, both run at one Monroe address and they want opposite people. So a single phone call covers both.

One question decides which of these two you can join

Do you use CPAP? Notably, both run at the same Monroe address, and they want opposite people. So one call covers both.

For People Who Have Given Up on CPAP

Amgen / Drug

A monthly shot from the weight loss drug family, tested in people with sleep apnea who are not using CPAP. The question is whether losing weight cuts the number of times your breathing stops.

Drug study, monthly injection If CPAP is not for you

Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.

Check eligibility →

More details

Why researchers are excited: for decades the only answer to sleep apnea was a device. So a drug route matters most to the people who tried the device and could not live with it.

Who this study is looking for

Adults with an apnea score of 15 or more per hour
Also, A BMI of 27 or more, with no upper limit published
Besides that, you have not used CPAP for at least 4 weeks
Finally, you are unwilling or unable to use it, and have no plan to start

Probably not a fit if: you use CPAP now, or you plan to start. That is the whole gate here, and its twin study at the same address wants the exact opposite.

Placebo group: Real drug against a dummy, and the ratio is not published. Neither you nor your doctor knows which.
How long: 52 weeks of treatment, with safety reporting out to week 100.
Clinic visits: At least 5 anchored points, at the start and weeks 24, 48 and 52, then safety to week 100. However, dosing is monthly, so the real number is higher and is not published.
Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
Most invasive part: Three nights in a sleep lab, at the start and weeks 24 and 52. Also, monthly shots under the skin and repeated fasting blood draws. No implant and no surgery.
Setting: Outpatient.
Where it runs: Monroe Biomedical Research, Monroe NC 28112.
Drive from Charlotte: Monroe is about 25 miles southeast, so roughly 35 minutes on US-74.
Read this first: three overnight lab studies is the real commitment here. So if that is the part you cannot face, say so on the first call.
Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →

The Opposite Study, at the Same Address

Amgen / Drug

The same monthly shot, but for people who do use their CPAP faithfully. It runs at the same Monroe address as its twin, and the two want opposite people.

Drug study, monthly injection If you use CPAP nightly

Est. about $100 per visit. Ask the site for the total number of visits.

Check eligibility →

More details

Why researchers are excited: most sleep apnea research ignores the people already doing everything right. So this asks whether a drug adds anything on top of a device that is working.

Who this study is looking for

Adults with an apnea score of 15 or more per hour
Also, A BMI of 27 or more, with no upper limit published
Besides that, you have used CPAP for at least 3 months in a row
Finally, you will keep using it throughout the study

Probably not a fit if: you are not sticking with CPAP. Also, you have to spend seven nights without your CPAP before each sleep study.

Placebo group: Real drug against a dummy, and the ratio is not published.
How long: 52 weeks of treatment, with safety reporting out to week 100.
Clinic visits: At least 5 anchored points, at the start and weeks 24, 48 and 52. However, dosing is monthly, so the real number is higher.
Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
Most invasive part: The heaviest ask here. Three nights in a sleep lab, each after seven nights without your CPAP. So that is roughly three weeks untreated, plus monthly shots and fasting blood draws.
Setting: Outpatient.
Where it runs: Monroe Biomedical Research, Monroe NC 28112.
Drive from Charlotte: Monroe is about 25 miles southeast, so roughly 35 minutes on US-74.
Be clear on this one: the seven nights off CPAP before each sleep study is buried in the protocol and it is a serious thing to agree to.
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 both studies. Also, no account and no paperwork.

See if I may fit one of these studies →

✓ Takes just a few minutes✓ No cost, no obligation✓ You are never enrolled by checking

Why Sleep Apnea Research Matters Here in Charlotte

The tiredness nobody connects to the snoring

You wake with a headache and a dry mouth, you are exhausted by mid afternoon, and your partner has moved to the spare room. Meanwhile, you do not remember waking up once, because you never really do. So it gets treated as stress, or age, or just being a heavy sleeper. Also, untreated it is tied to high blood pressure, heart rhythm problems, stroke and car crashes.

What is actually being studied here

Monroe, Gastonia, Rock Hill, Concord, Matthews. Sleep apnea is common across all of them and badly under diagnosed. However, both local studies sit at one research site in Monroe. So the drive is the same either way, and the choice comes down to your CPAP answer. In fact, that is unusually simple compared with most conditions we cover.

So why do people here fall behind?

It gets called snoring. A partner complains for years before anybody measures anything. So the diagnosis arrives late, if at all.
CPAP gets abandoned quietly. People stop using it and never tell anyone. Meanwhile, that is exactly the group one study here is built for.
The score is never explained. An apnea score decides everything about eligibility. However, most people were never told their number.
The drug news got misread. A drug was approved in 2024 for people with obesity. So some people stopped their CPAP, and that was never the advice.
Lab nights put people off. Two studies here need three overnight lab studies. Notably, that is the real barrier rather than the medicine.

Research is a care option, not a last resort

There is a saying in medicine that research is a care option rather than a last resort. Generally, that is the honest way to think about a study. You are not giving up your own doctor. Instead, you are adding a second set of eyes. Notably, in both studies your usual care carries on, and the study drug is added rather than swapped in.

What being on the list actually gets you

This is a directory, not a clinic. So being on the list is simple and it costs nothing.

What you actually get

A call from us the day a new study opens near you
The clinic name and number, so you call them yourself
A check against every other study on our list, not just this one
No cost, and no insurance needed
Roughly $100 a visit for your time, once you are in a study
You are never enrolled by checking

So add it up. Two studies, one address, and one question that decides which of them is yours. Meanwhile, this field went from having no drug at all to having one approved in under two years. So the question is not whether research is worth a look. Instead, it is whether another year of that tiredness is.

What Is Actually Changing in Sleep Apnea

For the first time, there is a drug. It did not replace the machine.

What Is Happening While You Sleep

The muscles in your throat relax at night, and in sleep apnea they relax so far that the airway shuts. Air stops moving and your oxygen drops, so your brain jolts you part way awake to reopen it, often with a gasp. Then you fall asleep and it happens again. So most people never remember waking, and what they notice is exhaustion, snoring, a dry mouth and a partner in another room.

The Number That Decides Everything

It is called the apnea score, and it counts how many times an hour your breathing stopped or went badly shallow. Under 5 is normal, 15 to 29 is moderate, and 30 or more is severe. Nearly every study here needs 15 or higher. So if your number came back at 12, you will not qualify, and that is worth knowing before you call.

Ask for the Test by Name

An overnight lab study is the complete version, and it is what almost every study uses. A home kit is easier and cheaper, and it is good at confirming clear cut apnea though less good at ruling it out. So ask for a lab study by name if a home test came back borderline. Also, one study here will not accept a home test at screening at all.

December 2024 Changed the Field

A drug was approved for sleep apnea itself for the first time, in adults who also have obesity. As Sally Seymour of the FDA put it, the approval marked the first drug treatment option for certain patients with this condition. Before that, the answer was always a device. Atul Malhotra of UC San Diego made the same point, that treating this had historically meant using devices during sleep.

What the Trial Behind It Showed

In the study that led to approval, breathing interruptions fell by about 25 an hour in people not using a device, and about 29 an hour in those who were. Malhotra, who led it, called it a significant milestone offering a promising option that addresses both the breathing and the metabolic side. Meanwhile, average weight loss was around 45 to 50 pounds.

But It Did Not Replace CPAP

This is the part that gets lost. The drug was approved alongside diet and exercise, and only for people with obesity. It is not a general sleep apnea drug. The sleep medicine guidance issued through 2025 still lists CPAP as a recommended first line treatment. So a drug now exists, and the machine has not gone anywhere.

Which Is Why Every Local Study Looks the Same

All four studies in these two cities are follow ons from that approval. Each is a weekly or monthly injection from the same drug family, tested against a dummy, in people who have sleep apnea plus extra weight. Also, there is no implant study and no mouthpiece study recruiting in either city, and readers should know that going in.

Research Sites Near Charlotte

One research site in Monroe carries both of these. 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 Sleep Apnea Study

New to studies? Here is how one works, step by step.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Sleep Apnea Trial FAQs

Real answers about obstructive sleep apnea studies near Charlotte NC.

Is there a sleep apnea study near Charlotte?

Yes, two, and they both run at the same research site in Monroe, about 35 minutes southeast. Notably, they want opposite people. One needs you to have stopped using CPAP, and the other needs you to use it faithfully. Both are monthly injection studies in people who also carry extra weight. However, both also involve three overnight lab studies, and one of those adds seven nights without your CPAP before each.

Will I have to give up my CPAP?

It depends entirely on the study, and this is the question that routes you. Some studies want people who are not using CPAP at all. Others require you to use it faithfully and keep using it. However, one study asks you to spend seven nights without your CPAP before each sleep test, and that is a serious thing to agree to, so we put it on the front of that card.

What is the apnea score and why does it matter?

It counts how many times an hour your breathing stopped or went badly shallow overnight. Under 5 is normal, 15 to 29 is moderate, and 30 or more is severe. Nearly every study here needs 15 or higher. So if yours came back at 12, you will not qualify, and it is better to know that before you call.

Is there really a drug for sleep apnea now?

Yes, since December 2024, and it was the first ever. As Sally Seymour of the FDA put it, that approval marked the first drug treatment option for certain patients with this condition. However, it is approved for adults who also have obesity, alongside diet and exercise. So it is not a general sleep apnea drug and it did not replace CPAP.

Does that mean I can stop using CPAP?

No, and this gets misread constantly. The sleep medicine guidance issued through 2025 still lists CPAP as a recommended first line treatment. As Atul Malhotra of UC San Diego put it, treating this had historically meant using devices during sleep, and a drug existing does not undo that. So talk to your own doctor before changing anything.

How many nights will I spend in a sleep lab?

More than people expect, and it is the biggest practical commitment here. Two of the studies need at least three overnight lab studies, and two need at least two. One will not accept a home test at screening at all. So ask for the number of lab nights on your very first call, because it decides whether you can really do this.

Are there any implant or mouthpiece studies?

No, not one in either city, and we checked specifically. Every study running here is a drug study using a weekly or monthly injection. So if you were hoping for a device alternative to CPAP, that research exists elsewhere but not locally. Meanwhile, put your name in and we will tell you if one opens.

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.

How long do these run?

Longer than most things we list, so read that line carefully. The shortest runs 52 weeks of treatment with safety follow up out to two years. The longest runs 80 weeks to its main result. So these are commitments measured in years rather than months.

Where can I get sleep apnea care near Charlotte NC?

Atrium Health and Novant Health both run sleep labs across the metro. Also, ask for an in lab sleep study by name if a home test came back borderline, because the two are not equivalent. Your own doctor can refer you to a sleep specialist. Meanwhile, if you stopped using CPAP, say so plainly rather than letting it go unmentioned, because it opens doors rather than closing them.

Ready to Explore a Study?

Check your eligibility, or just reach out to our Charlotte team. No pressure. Also, no sales pitch.

See if I may fit one of these studies → Contact Us

← Back to All Clinical Trials

Sources

Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 16, 2026. On that date no implanted nerve stimulation study and no mouthpiece or CPAP alternative study was recruiting in either metro. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.

See which sleep apnea study you qualify for →