Donna Matlach is on a mission to increase participation in clinical trials. For nine years, Donna has lived with severe asthma and has suffered three near-death experiences. This prompted her to embark on a national search for relief — after visiting 28 doctors in 12 hospitals, she enrolled in an asthma research study, and the drug she received saved her life. Hear the account of her story below:
Why participate in clinical trials?
Despite stories like Donna’s, medical research study participation remains low in the United States, causing 80% of medical research studies to experience delays or close completely. Case in point: Research on the medication Donna credits with saving her life was delayed for nine years. As a result, it almost never made it through the approvals process.
Fortunately, individuals can help researchers find new treatment options by volunteering for a clinical trial. For those still not convinced medical research participation is the right choice, consider two pieces of advice from Donna:
Ready to start looking for a trial? Get started below.
