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Researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the PerQdisc Nucleus Replacement Device NRD for patients with degenerative disc disease DDD causing chronic low back pain. This prospective, open-label, multi-center study involves 72 patients who have DDD in one or more lumbar discs between L1 and S1. The study aims to collect additional data on this minimally invasive device, which is designed to maintain disc height and preserve spinal motion compared to the current standard spinal fusion surgery. Participants will undergo nucleus replacement surgery using the PerQdisc device via standard anterior, lateral, or minimally invasive posterolateral surgical approaches to replace the single nucleus pulposus in the affected lumbar disc. All surgeries require approval from a Medical Advisory Board. The study focuses on patients who have exhausted at least six months of conservative treatments for their back pain and meet specific criteria, including disc height and pain scores. During the study, participants will be monitored closely with evaluations at multiple time points up to five years. Researchers will assess performance outcomes such as disability Oswestry Disability Index, pain levels Visual Analog Scale, disc height, and range of motion, as well as safety outcomes including device expulsion, failure, neurological status, revision surgeries, and serious adverse events. Follow-up visits will include questionnaires, imaging, and clinical assessments to track the devices impact over time.

Researchers are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of elenestinib BLU-263 combined with symptom directed therapy SDT compared to placebo plus SDT in adults with indolent systemic mastocytosis ISM whose symptoms are not well controlled by SDT alone. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 23 study includes multiple parts to assess different doses and durations of elenestinib treatment, including an open-label extension for participants finishing earlier phases. The study also enrolls participants who have previously received an approved selective KIT inhibitor and includes pharmacokinetic groups. Participants receive oral elenestinib or placebo once daily alongside SDT, which is personalized based on individual symptom management needs. Part 1 focuses on short-term treatment lasting up to 12 weeks, while Part 2 extends treatment to approximately 48 weeks. Part 3 and other parts allow treatment for up to about 5 years. The study monitors participants through these phases to evaluate how elenestinib affects symptoms, disease markers, and safety over time. During the study, participants undergo regular assessments of symptoms using the ISM-Symptom Assessment Form ISM-SAF, laboratory tests including serum tryptase and KIT D816V allele levels, bone marrow evaluations, and quality of life measures. Researchers track adverse events and changes in disease-related factors at various points up to 5 years. This thorough monitoring helps measure treatment effects and safety over both short and long-term periods, with total participation lasting several years depending on the study part.

Researchers are studying new treatment options for people with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer HR NMIBC, including cases with carcinoma in situ CIS. HR NMIBC affects the lining of the bladder but has not spread to muscle or beyond. The study aims to learn if adding intismeran autogene V940 to the standard Bacillus Calmette-Guerin BCG immunotherapy can improve outcomes by helping the immune system attack the cancer more effectively. Participants are divided into groups receiving different treatments. One group Cohort A receives both intismeran autogene via intramuscular injection every 3 weeks for 9 doses and BCG instillations weekly in specific weeks over about 75 weeks. Another group receives only BCG following the same weekly schedule. A third group Cohort B receives intismeran autogene alone every 3 weeks for 9 doses. The study evaluates these treatments over several years. During the study, participants will have regular treatments and follow-up visits where researchers will monitor cancer progression, recurrence, and survival for up to approximately 5 years. Assessments include event-free survival, recurrence-free survival, overall survival, response rates, time to cystectomy, and safety outcomes such as adverse events and treatment discontinuation. The study is randomized and open-label, with detailed long-term monitoring planned.

Researchers are evaluating a study medicine called MK-1045 in adults with systemic lupus erythematosus SLE or rheumatoid arthritis RA. The main goal is to learn about the safety and tolerability of MK-1045 when given at different dose levels. This is a phase 1 clinical trial focused on treatment and led by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. Participants will receive MK-1045 through intravenous infusion. The study has three parts Part 1 involves single doses at various levels, Part 2 includes three step-up doses over three weeks as prime, step-up, and target doses, and Part 3 offers optional dose expansion with similar dosing. This sequential study uses randomized allocation without masking. During the study, participants will be monitored for adverse events and treatment discontinuations up to approximately 52 weeks depending on the study part. Researchers will also measure how the drug behaves in the body and its effect on peripheral B cell counts. Participants will have regular assessments including safety and pharmacokinetic evaluations throughout the study period, which runs up to July 2029.

Researchers are evaluating new medicines to prevent HIV-1 Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 infection. This Phase 3 clinical study aims to determine if taking the drug MK-8527 once a month can prevent HIV-1 infection as well as or better than the standard daily pre-exposure prophylaxis PrEP. The study also assesses the safety and tolerance of MK-8527 in participants. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group receives 11 mg of MK-8527 once monthly along with a daily placebo pill matching FTCTDF. The other group receives a daily dose of FTC245 mg TDF and a monthly placebo matching MK-8527. This treatment period lasts for approximately two years, followed by an additional 28-day period where all participants receive open-label FTCTDF daily. During the study, participants will undergo regular monitoring to check for HIV-1 infection and any adverse events. Researchers will track the number of participants who acquire HIV-1, experience side effects, or stop treatment due to side effects over the two-year period. Safety and adherence assessments will be conducted to evaluate the study treatments. The total participation time includes the two-year treatment phase plus the 28-day follow-up with open-label FTCTDF.

Researchers are evaluating molnupiravir, an oral medicine designed to stop the COVID-19 virus from multiplying, to see if it can prevent severe illness from COVID-19 in people at high risk of disease progression. The study focuses on adults with confirmed COVID-19 infection who are at increased risk due to age, medical conditions, or other factors. This is a Phase 3 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial led by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either molnupiravir or a matching placebo. Those in the molnupiravir group will take 800 mg orally every 12 hours for 5 days, totaling 10 doses. The same dosing schedule applies to the placebo group. Some participants may also receive remdesivir as part of standard care if clinically appropriate. During the study, participants will be monitored for up to 29 days to assess outcomes such as hospitalization, death, or medically attended visits related to COVID-19. Safety will be evaluated by tracking adverse events and discontinuation due to side effects. Researchers will also measure symptom relief, viral RNA levels, and other health indicators. The study is expected to continue until January 2031.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for high-risk, early-stage breast cancer, specifically targeting two types triple-negative breast cancer TNBC and hormone receptor-low positiveHER2-negative breast cancer. These cancers are characterized by low or no HER2 protein and low hormone receptor presence. The study aims to evaluate if adding sacituzumab tirumotecan sac-TMT to pembrolizumab and chemotherapy can better reduce cancer cells in tumors and lymph nodes and improve the length of time patients live without cancer progression compared to pembrolizumab with chemotherapy alone. Participants in this trial receive one of two treatment plans. One group gets sacituzumab tirumotecan intravenously every two weeks plus pembrolizumab every three weeks for 12 weeks, followed by pembrolizumab with carboplatin and paclitaxel for another 12 weeks. After 3 to 6 weeks, surgery and optional radiation therapy take place, followed by pembrolizumab for about 28 weeks. Participants with remaining disease may receive additional treatments chosen by their doctors, including olaparib, capecitabine, doxorubicin, epirubicin, or cyclophosphamide. The other group receives chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel with pembrolizumab initially, then pembrolizumab with cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin or epirubicin, followed by surgery, optional radiation, and pembrolizumab for about 28 weeks, with similar additional options for residual disease. During the study, participants undergo core needle biopsies, receive intravenous infusions of study drugs, and have surgery and possible radiation therapy. Researchers assess outcomes such as the percentage of participants with no detectable cancer cells at surgery pathological complete response, event-free survival up to about 92 months, and overall survival up to nearly 10 years. Quality of life and side effects are monitored through questionnaires and adverse event tracking. The study lasts several years, with various assessments throughout treatment and follow-up periods to gather comprehensive data on treatment effects and safety.

Researchers are studying pulmonary arterial hypertension PAH, a condition where lung blood vessels become thick and narrow, causing high blood pressure in the lungs and making it hard for the heart to work. PAH can cause difficulty breathing and limit activity. While standard treatments help symptoms, they do not stop the disease from worsening. This research focuses on sotatercept, a targeted therapy aimed at specific proteins involved in PAH, to learn about its long-term safety and tolerability when added to usual PAH treatments. Participants in this long-term follow-up study, who previously took part in certain sotatercept trials, may continue receiving sotatercept by subcutaneous injection every three weeks. Those coming from blinded studies start at 0.3 mgkg with possible increases up to 0.7 mgkg, while those from unblinded studies continue their current dose with possible titration to 0.7 mgkg. The study monitors participants over an extended period to assess continued effects alongside their usual PAH therapy. During the study, participants will have regular assessments including monitoring for adverse events, blood tests for blood components and chemistry, body weight, blood pressure, and ECG readings. Researchers will also evaluate exercise capacity, heart function markers, and risk scores related to PAH. The study aims to follow participants for up to approximately 7 to 8 years to understand long-term safety, treatment tolerability, and health changes while using sotatercept with standard PAH care.

Researchers are investigating new treatments for radiographic axial spondyloarthritis r-axSpA, a form of arthritis causing pain, stiffness, and swelling in the spine and pelvis joints. This condition shows visible damage on X-rays. The study aims to evaluate if different doses of the medicine tulisokibart can improve r-axSpA symptoms compared to a placebo, which helps measure the medicines effects accurately. Participants will be assigned to one of several groups receiving high, medium, or low doses of tulisokibart, or a placebo. The study includes a 16-week placebo-controlled phase. After that, participants receiving the low dose or placebo will be re-assigned to medium or high doses. Following this, there is a long-term extension lasting 124 weeks, which has a 40-week main extension and an 84-week optional extension, allowing continued treatment and observation. Throughout the study, participants will have regular assessments to monitor symptoms and disease activity using various indexes and imaging scores. Researchers will track the percentage of participants who achieve improvement at week 16 and monitor safety by recording adverse events up to approximately 154 weeks. The study uses injections of tulisokibart or placebo under the skin and includes ongoing evaluations of physical function, pain, inflammation, and quality of life.

Researchers are evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of subcutaneous ianalumab in adults with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, a condition characterized by skin thickening and other systemic symptoms. This Phase 2 study compares ianalumab to a placebo to understand its impact on this disease, aiming to provide new treatment options for affected individuals. The study is sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals and employs a randomized, double-blind design to ensure reliable results. Participants receive either ianalumab or placebo through subcutaneous injections during the initial 52-week treatment period. After this, all participants enter a second 52-week open-label phase where they receive ianalumab. Following treatment, there is a post-treatment follow-up lasting at least 20 weeks and up to 2 years to monitor long-term effects. The study includes a screening period lasting up to 6 weeks before treatment begins. Throughout the study, participants undergo regular assessments including measuring response based on the rCRISS25 scale at Week 52, lung function tests, skin scoring, and disability index evaluations. Blood samples are taken periodically to measure drug levels and antibodies. Safety is closely monitored through adverse event reporting up to Week 208. The total participation time can extend over several years including treatment and follow-up phases.