49 Recruiting Trials

Clinical Trials
for Arthritis in North Carolina

49 clinical trials for Arthritis are currently recruiting participants at study sites in North Carolina. Study-related care is provided at no cost.

49
Recruiting trials
55
Study sites
17
Cities
37
Industry-sponsored
11
Phase 2
11
Phase 3

Arthritis clinical trials in North Carolina: what to expect

Arthritis trials are split by type. Rheumatoid arthritis studies test biologics, targeted pills and, more recently, cell therapies in people whose joints stay inflamed despite methotrexate or a biologic. Knee osteoarthritis studies test injections meant to slow cartilage loss, new pain medicines, devices and exercise and weight programs. Psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and gout each have their own trials, and a listing will always say which type it enrolls.

In North Carolina, recruiting arthritis studies are concentrated in Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Durham and Wilmington, with sites in 13 other cities. 37 of the 49 are run by a drug or device company, which usually means a larger study with travel reimbursement; the rest are academic or hospital-led.

Who arthritis trials usually look for

Rheumatoid arthritis trials count swollen and tender joints and measure inflammation in the blood at screening, and ask that a standard medicine has not worked well enough; methotrexate usually continues, while a current biologic is stopped after a washout. Knee osteoarthritis trials need an X-ray showing moderate damage, a pain score above a threshold, and no steroid or hyaluronic acid injection in the past few months; many set a weight limit. Ages are usually 18 to 80, and most trials exclude pregnancy and a recent serious infection.

What taking part involves

Screening includes a joint exam, blood work and X-rays or an MRI. Rheumatoid arthritis trials run six to twelve months with visits every four weeks for an injection or infusion and labs; placebo arms are common, with rescue rules so no one stays on an ineffective treatment for long. Osteoarthritis injection trials give one or a few injections at the site and follow you for six to twenty-four months with pain diaries and imaging. Exercise trials involve supervised sessions for eight to twelve weeks. Study care is free and visits are usually paid.

Questions worth asking the study team

Which of your medicines continue; how long any washout is; the chance of placebo and the rescue rules; how imaging is scheduled; and whether an extension lets everyone receive the active treatment.

Showing 20 of 49 recruiting Arthritis trials in North Carolina

A Study of Orforglipron (LY3502970) in Participants With Obesity or Overweight and Osteoarthritis (OA) of the Knee
PHASE3 Phoenix, Arizona +4 sites NCT07153471
This trial is looking for people who are 50 years or older and have osteoarthritis in their knee along with being overweight or obese. They should have tried to lose weight before but haven’t had success. However, if you've lost or gained more than 11 pounds recently, have diabetes, or a serious heart condition, you won’t be able to join.
Recruiting
A Study of Zasocitinib in Adults With Psoriatic Arthritis Who Have Not Taken Biologic Medicines
PHASE3 Chandler, Arizona +4 sites NCT06671483
This trial is looking for adults with psoriatic arthritis who have not taken biologic medicines. Participants will receive either the study drug, a comparator, or a placebo over a period of up to 60 weeks.
Recruiting
A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Icotrokinra (JNJ-77242113) in Biologic-experienced and Biologic-naive Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis
PHASE3 Glendale, Arizona +4 sites NCT06807424
This trial is looking for people with active psoriatic arthritis who have previously tried certain treatments but still have symptoms. Participants will take part in a study to see how well a medication called icotrokinra works compared to a placebo.
Recruiting
Study of Oral Upadacitinib and Subcutaneous/Intravenous Tocilizumab to Evaluate Change in Disease Activity, Adverse Events and How Drug Moves Through the Body of Pediatric and Adolescent Participants With Active Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
PHASE3 Charlotte, North Carolina +4 sites NCT05609630
This trial is looking for children and teens aged 1 to less than 18 with systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). Participants will take either a new oral medicine called upadacitinib or a reference treatment called tocilizumab for about a year and will be monitored for their health and side effects.
Recruiting
Evaluation of Sonelokimab in Patients With Active Psoriatic Arthritis and Anti-TNFα Inadequate Response
PHASE3 Avondale, Arizona +4 sites NCT06641089
This trial is looking for adults with active psoriatic arthritis who did not respond well to past treatments. Participants will take sonelokimab or a placebo to see how well it works and if it is safe.
Recruiting
A Study of Zasocitinib in Adults With Psoriatic Arthritis Who Have or Have Not Been Treated With Biologic Medicines
PHASE3 Mesa, Arizona +4 sites NCT06671496
This trial is looking for adults with psoriatic arthritis to test the drug zasocitinib. Participants will receive either zasocitinib or a placebo for up to 60 weeks.
Recruiting
A Study to Assess Adverse Events, Change in Disease Activity, and How the Drug Moves Through the Body in Children With Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis (jPsA) Receiving Subcutaneously Injected Risankizumab or Adalimumab
PHASE3 Little Rock, Arkansas +4 sites NCT06100744
This trial is looking for children with juvenile psoriatic arthritis (jPsA). Participants will receive either risankizumab or adalimumab as injections and be monitored for their symptoms and safety over time.
Recruiting
Phase III Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of SL1002 for Osteoarthritis Knee Pain
PHASE3 Roseville, California +4 sites NCT07226258
This trial is looking for adults with chronic knee pain due to osteoarthritis. Participants will receive a single dose of SL1002 to evaluate its effects.
Recruiting
Preventing Injured Knees From osteoArthritis: Severity Outcomes
PHASE2 Atlanta, Georgia +4 sites NCT06096259
This trial is looking for people aged 18-45 who have had an ACL injury and are planning to have surgery. Participants will take either metformin or a placebo that looks like metformin to see if it helps reduce pain related to post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
Recruiting
A Study to Evaluate Different Targeted Therapies for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis
PHASE2 Peoria, Arizona +4 sites NCT06972446
This trial is looking for patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have not responded to certain treatments. Participants will try new medications and attend regular check-ups to monitor their health.
Recruiting
A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of JNJ-88545223 for the Treatment of Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis
PHASE2 Searcy, Arkansas +4 sites NCT07321873
This trial is looking for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. Participants will take the study drug JNJ-88545223 to see how well it works compared to a placebo.
Recruiting
Study to Evaluate Tulisokibart in Adults With Psoriatic Arthritis (MK-7240-015)
PHASE2 Sun City, Arizona +4 sites NCT07486960
This trial is looking for adults with Psoriatic Arthritis who are experiencing active symptoms. Participants will take a study medicine called tulisokibart or a placebo to see if it helps reduce their symptoms better than the placebo.
Recruiting
A Study to Assess Safety and Tolerability of PCRX-201 in Subjects With Painful Osteoarthritis of the Knee
PHASE2 Birmingham, Alabama +4 sites NCT06884865
This trial is looking for people aged 45 to 80 who have been dealing with knee pain from osteoarthritis for at least a year and have tried other treatments that didn’t work. They’re also looking for individuals who don’t have certain autoimmune diseases or infections and haven't had specific knee treatments in the last six months.
Recruiting
A Study to Assess the Safety and Efficacy of Different Doses of ELV001 to Treat Active Rheumatoid Arthritis in Patients With an Inadequate Response to Methotrexate and Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibition (START SYNERGY)
PHASE2 Gilbert, Arizona +4 sites NCT07409103
This trial is looking for people with active rheumatoid arthritis who haven't responded well to standard treatments. Participants will receive either the experimental drug ELV001 or a placebo for about 32 weeks.
Recruiting
A Study to Investigate Effectiveness of Tirzepatide Following Initiation of Ixekizumab in Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis and Overweight or Obesity in Clinical Practice (TOGETHER AMPLIFY-PsA)
PHASE4 Avondale, Arizona +4 sites NCT06864026
This trial is looking for people with active psoriatic arthritis who are overweight or obese. Participants will add a medication called tirzepatide to their current treatment with ixekizumab for up to 12 months.
Recruiting
Study to Evaluate the Pharmacokinetics (PK), Safety and Tolerability up to 6 Years of Intravenous (i.v.) Secukinumab in Pediatric Participants With Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis (JPsA).
PHASE1 Charlotte, North Carolina +4 sites NCT06751238
This trial is looking for children aged 2 to 17 with juvenile psoriatic arthritis (JPsA) who are having trouble with current treatments. Participants will receive multiple doses of a medication called secukinumab to see how well it works and if it is safe.
Recruiting
The Osteoarthritis Prevention Study
NA Chapel Hill, North Carolina +3 sites NCT05946044
This trial is looking for adult women aged 50 and older who are obese but have little to no knee pain. Participants will engage in a program involving weight loss, exercise, and maintaining their weight to help prevent knee osteoarthritis.
Recruiting
MISHA Post-Market Clinical Study
NA Raleigh, North Carolina +3 sites NCT06118892
This trial is looking for adults with knee osteoarthritis who are experiencing pain and have not found relief from other treatments. Participants will be monitored for up to five years after receiving the MISHA Knee System.
Recruiting

Where the Arthritis studies are in North Carolina

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill4 trials
  • Duke University, Durham3 trials
  • West Clinical Research, Morehead City3 trials
  • Joint and Muscle Research Institute, Charlotte2 trials
  • Research Site, Chapel Hill2 trials
  • Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem2 trials

Counts are recruiting studies listing at least one site in North Carolina, from ClinicalTrials.gov, refreshed every two days.

Arthritis clinical trials in North Carolina: common questions

How many Arthritis clinical trials are recruiting in North Carolina?
TrialFinder currently lists 49 recruiting Arthritis clinical trials with study sites in North Carolina. Results are updated regularly from ClinicalTrials.gov, the official U.S. registry of clinical studies.
Where are Arthritis clinical trials located in North Carolina?
Study sites for the Arthritis trials listed on this page include Charlotte, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durham. Each trial page lists every participating site with contact details, so you can find the location closest to you.
Do I need insurance to join a Arthritis clinical trial in North Carolina?
No. Study-related care is covered by the trial sponsor at no cost to participants, including the study treatment, required lab tests and study visits. Many Arthritis trials in North Carolina also compensate participants for time and travel. Health insurance is not required to search or enroll.
How do I qualify for a Arthritis clinical trial in North Carolina?
Each study sets its own criteria based on age, Arthritis diagnosis details, prior treatments, current medications and general health. The fastest way to find out is to contact a research site directly — most will pre-screen you by phone in 10 to 15 minutes at no charge. You can also create a free TrialFinder profile to be matched automatically.
Which type of arthritis do trials enroll?
Each listing names one: rheumatoid, osteoarthritis (most often knee), psoriatic, ankylosing spondylitis or gout. Rheumatoid and knee osteoarthritis have the most recruiting trials.
Do I need to stop my arthritis medicine to join a trial?
For rheumatoid arthritis, methotrexate usually continues and a biologic is stopped after a supervised washout. Osteoarthritis trials ask that you have had no joint injection for a few months and may limit daily pain medicine.
Are there arthritis trials that do not involve medicine?
Yes. Exercise, physical therapy, weight management, braces and devices, and diet studies all recruit, mostly for knee and hip osteoarthritis.
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Arthritis trials test biologics, JAK inhibitors, stem-cell therapies, and pain-management protocols for rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and psoriatic arthritis.

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