The Facial Pain Reseach Foundation (FPRF) is pleased to announce that several of our research programs have reached the milestone that human clinical trials are being planned over the next two years. As such, we would like to invite you to apply to join a select group of your fellow TN sufferers by volunteering to be a potential participant in these future human clinical trials supported by FPRF funding.
We recognize that not all TN patients are in the same place in their journey to stop their trigeminal neuralgia (TN) pain. But we are frequently contacted by patients looking for information on potential new cures for their pain and we want to make you aware that there is now a way for you to volunteer to participate in upcoming human clinical trials.
Not all patients can be included in all clinical trials. We will begin by considering and evaluating some of the most complex, difficult cases (in our awareness) for best fit. This two-pronged approach holds the strongest potential to benefit both severely disabled patients while advancing the pace of the research.
Volunteering does not obligate you to participate in any clinical trial. It is simply an indication of your interest to be one of the first patients contacted when trial recruitment begins. You will be provided with full information about any potential clinical study before ever needing to decide if you wish to participate.
Also, volunteering does not guarantee you an early spot in a clinical trial. Caution may be warranted in some cases where a new treatment being trialed for the first time, is seriously contraindicated in patients based on medical conditions or previous histories of TN treatments.
We will strive to include our volunteers in the first trial of every therapy; however, the final selection must be made by the scientists running the trial in compliance with the FDA stipulations. If the first trial of a treatment is not a good match, we will endeavor to have trial volunteers included when the second clinical trial on any treatment is ready.
Depending upon the study, the FPRF may also offer financial assistance to offset some of the costs of traveling to clinical study sites.
If you wish to become a trial volunteer or have questions, please email Pam Neff, Volunteer Clinical Coordinator at Pamfprf@gmail.com with your contact information. Pam will get in touch with you to collect some basic information to help determine which clinical trials may be the best match for you. No information that you provide will be shared with anyone beyond the scientists conducting the research studies.
Since most foundation trustees have experienced or are experiencing TN pain themselves, be assured that the urgency needed to stop the pain and ‘get one’s life back’ is understood.
Wishing you all the best,
Jerry Krbec Trustee
www.facingfacialpain.org