COLUMBIA, SC
Chronic Hives Clinical Trials
No chronic hives study is enrolling in Columbia SC, and we would rather say so plainly. However, two run within about an hour and a half north west, and they take opposite kinds of hives. Compensation is provided for eligible participants once one opens here.
0
Open in the Midlands
2
Within 100 Miles
+/- $100
Per Visit
New here? Read how this page works
First, one thing decides which of these could take you, and it is which kind of hives you have. So here is the order to work through.
- Find out which kind of hives you have. Because spontaneous and inducible go to completely different studies, and getting it wrong wastes a screening visit.
- Start a UAS7 diary today. Notably, you count welts and rate itch daily for a week, and studies want that week before you begin.
- Ask whether your antihistamine dose has been pushed up. In fact, guidelines allow up to four times the packet dose, and most people never get told that.
- Finally, tap the button. Then we keep your details on file and call you when a study opens near you.
Of course, checking never signs you up for anything. You are only seeing where you might fit.
The 2 Nearest Studies to Columbia
Neither runs in the Midlands. However, both are within about an hour and a half, and they take opposite kinds.
The two nearest studies, and they take opposite kinds
Nothing runs in the Midlands. Also, one takes hives with no trigger and the other takes hives with a physical trigger, so know which you have before you call.
For Hives That Come Without a Trigger
Novartis / Late stage injection
This one is for chronic spontaneous hives, meaning welts that arrive with no clear cause. That is the common kind, and it is the one most people on this page have. The drug is given as an injection every two weeks. Notably, it is a double dummy design, so everyone gets injections whichever group they are in. Two sites run it at Greenville.
Payment is not published.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: antihistamines fail a real share of people even at four times the normal dose. Meanwhile, the next step up has been the same injection for over a decade.
Who this study is looking for
- Chronic spontaneous hives, meaning no identifiable trigger
- Also, still symptomatic despite antihistamines
- Besides that, A UAS7 score high enough to count as active, so ask for that number
- Finally, willing to inject every two weeks for the study period
Probably not a fit if: previous dupilumab rules you out. Also, any blood thinner or dual antiplatelet treatment is a hard exclusion. Notably, the inducible kind, where a trigger like cold or pressure brings hives on, does not qualify here.
- Placebo group: Yes, and it is a double dummy design. So everybody receives injections regardless of group.
- How long: Not published on the public record in full.
- Clinic visits: Not published on the public record.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Injections every two weeks, in both groups. Also, a daily symptom diary and blood tests.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Two study sites, Greenville SC.
- Drive from Columbia: Greenville is about 100 miles north west, so roughly an hour and forty minutes on I-26.
- Check your medicine list for blood thinners first. That exclusion catches people late in screening, and it is absolute.
- Full study record: View on ClinicalTrials.gov →
For Hives With a Physical Trigger
Celldex / Late stage injection
This one is the opposite of the study above. It takes the inducible kind, where something physical brings the hives on. Cold urticaria and dermographism are the two named here. So if your welts appear after cold water, or after scratching or pressure, this is the fit. The site is at Spartanburg.
Payment is not published.
Get on the list →More details
Why researchers are excited: the inducible kinds are studied far less often than the spontaneous kind. Meanwhile, they can be just as disabling, because the trigger is part of ordinary life.
Who this study is looking for
- Chronic inducible hives, such as cold urticaria or dermographism
- Also, A confirmed trigger test, so ask which one they use
- Besides that, still symptomatic despite antihistamines
- Finally, willing to attend a site at Spartanburg
Probably not a fit if: the spontaneous kind does not qualify here. That is the commonest reason people are turned away from this one. So be clear about which kind you have before you call.
- Placebo group: Yes. There is a dummy group, and the split is not published.
- How long: Not published on the public record in full.
- Clinic visits: Not published on the public record.
- Phone calls: Not published on the public record.
- Most invasive part: Injections, plus a provocation test at screening. That means deliberately triggering your hives, with an ice cube or a blunt scratch, to confirm the diagnosis.
- Setting: Outpatient.
- Where it runs: Study site, Spartanburg SC 29307.
- Drive from Columbia: Spartanburg is about 90 miles north west, so roughly an hour and a half.
- Know which kind you have before you call. Spontaneous and inducible go to different studies, and getting it wrong wastes a screening visit.
- 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 study opens near Columbia. No account, no paperwork.
See if I may fit one of these studies →What Is Actually Changing in Chronic Hives
For the first time since 2014 there is real competition for what comes after antihistamines.
Chronic Means Six Weeks, Not Forever
Hives count as chronic once they keep coming back for more than six weeks. So it is a timescale rather than a severity judgement. Notably, most people have had it far longer than that by the time anyone uses the word. Meanwhile, that six week mark is what separates it from a one off reaction.
Two Kinds, and They Go to Different Studies
The spontaneous kind arrives with no trigger you can name, and it is the common one. The inducible kind is brought on by something physical, such as cold, pressure, scratching, heat or sunlight. So the two are studied separately and almost never in the same trial. In fact, both studies on this page take one kind and exclude the other.
It Is Usually Not a Food Allergy
This is the single most common misunderstanding, and it costs people years. Chronic hives are rarely caused by food, and cutting foods out almost never helps. So the endless search for a trigger is usually a dead end. Meanwhile, in many cases the immune system is reacting against your own cells.
Ask for Your UAS7 Score
UAS7 stands for Urticaria Activity Score over seven days, and studies gate on it. You count your welts and rate your itch each day for a week, then add the scores. So it is a diary you fill in rather than a test a doctor runs. Notably, most studies want a score showing active hives, so start the diary early.
The Antihistamine Ladder Goes Higher Than You Think
Guidelines allow going up to four times the normal packet dose. So one tablet failing does not mean antihistamines have failed. However, that step is rarely explained, so people stop early and assume nothing works. Meanwhile, it is the cheapest thing to try before anything else.
Then Comes the Injection
One injection was approved for chronic hives in 2014, and it usually follows the tablets. It is an injection given every four weeks. So for many people it works well, and for others it does not work enough. In fact, that second group is exactly who the studies on this page are recruiting.
What Is Being Tested Now
Several new drugs are in late stage testing at once, which has not happened for years. Some block a signal with a tablet. Others target the cell that drives hives, with a shot. Meanwhile, one drug aims to reduce those cells rather than just quieten them. So the pipeline is genuinely busy after a long flat period.
Angioedema Is Part of the Same Picture
Deep swelling of the lips, eyelids or hands happens with hives in many people. So mention it, because it changes how urgently you are treated. Also, swelling that affects your breathing is an emergency rather than a clinic matter. Generally, studies ask about it separately from the welts.
Why Nothing Is Open in Either Metro
These studies cluster at allergy and skin practices with research arms, and in the Carolinas those sit at Greenville and Spartanburg. So both metros fall outside that cluster right now. However, the nearest are roughly 70 to 100 miles away, which is closer than most gaps on our site. Meanwhile, a new study registered in August 2026 has not posted its sites yet.
Chronic Hives Help Near You
Ask whether your hives have a trigger or not, because it decides everything. Also, start a UAS7 diary now, because studies want the week before you begin. Finally, ask whether your antihistamine dose has been pushed as high as guidelines allow. Meanwhile, join the list and we will call you when a study opens here.
Research Sites Near Columbia
Nothing runs in the Midlands for hives, while the nearest sites are at Greenville and Spartanburg. 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 Hives 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 Hives Trial FAQs
Real answers about chronic hives 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, two run in the Upstate within about an hour and a half, and they take opposite kinds. One at Greenville takes the spontaneous kind, and one at Spartanburg takes the kind with a physical trigger.
Which kind of hives do I have?
There are two, and it decides which study can take you. The spontaneous kind arrives with no identifiable trigger, and it is the common one. Meanwhile, the inducible kind is set off by something physical, such as cold, pressure or scratching. So ask your doctor to name yours, because the two studies here exclude each other.
Is it a food allergy?
Almost certainly not, and this is the most common misunderstanding. Chronic spontaneous hives are rarely caused by food, and elimination diets almost never help. In a large share of cases the immune system is reacting against the person’s own cells instead. So the long hunt for a food trigger is usually a dead end, and letting it go is a relief.
What is a UAS7 score?
It stands for Urticaria Activity Score over seven days. You count your welts and rate your itch every day for a week, and the daily scores are added up. So it is a diary you keep rather than a test a doctor runs. Notably, studies want that diary from the week before you start, so beginning now is worth doing.
My antihistamine does not work. What now?
Ask whether your dose has actually been pushed as high as guidelines allow. They permit up to four times the standard over the counter dose for this condition. However, that step is rarely explained, so people stop at the packet dose and conclude nothing works. Meanwhile, it is the cheapest thing to try before anything else.
What comes after antihistamines?
Usually omalizumab, an injection given every four weeks, approved for this back in 2014. It works well for many people and not well enough for a real share. So that second group is exactly who the studies here are recruiting. Also, several new approaches are in late stage testing at once, which has not happened for years.
What about the deep swelling of my lips and eyes?
That is angioedema, and it happens alongside hives in a substantial share of people. So mention it, because it changes how urgently you are treated. However, swelling that affects your breathing or your throat is an emergency rather than a clinic matter. Notably, studies ask about it separately from the welts.
Does it cost anything to join 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 help near Columbia SC?
Prisma Health and Lexington Medical Center both run allergy and skin services across the Midlands. Also, ask for an allergist or a dermatologist rather than urgent care, because chronic hives need a plan rather than a one off steroid course. Generally, your own doctor can push the antihistamine dose first. Meanwhile, that step alone settles it for a good share of people.
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
- RECLAIM, for hives with no trigger, at Greenville, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06868212
- A study for the inducible kind, at Spartanburg, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07266402
Study details and per-site recruiting status verified against ClinicalTrials.gov on August 17, 2026. Four separate state level searches on this condition returned nothing for either Carolina; the sites listed here were found only by reading study records one at a time. A further study was registered in mid August 2026 and has not published its sites yet, so it is not listed here as an option. Study availability and criteria change; the research clinic confirms everything before you enroll.