PEARL recruitment no challenge for NIHR: PRC Newcastle
Recruiting sufficient patients to randomised trials can be a familiar challenge for studies and sites, but this did not prove the case for the team at NIHR PRC: Newcastle who supported and delivered the study to ensure recruitment to time and target for the PEARL study.
The PEARL study is an observational study looking at how effective a drug called fremanezumab is at treating chronic and episodic migraines.
Fremanezumab is part of a new group of medicines developed specifically to treat migraines and can help prevent an attack from developing. Research to date has found this group of medications safe and effective in reducing the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. They also have fewer side effects than other preventive migraine medication.
The fact that PEARL is an observational study means participants aren’t given any additional treatments; the team simply monitors the effect of Fremanezumab that they have been prescribed by their neurologist in the specialist headache clinic.
The study opened on 27 May 2021 at PRC: Newcastle and looks at how effective Fremanezumab is at reducing the number and severity of migraines participants experience, compared to before they started treatment, and what impact this has on their day-to-day lives. This monitoring period will last for two years.
Since opening to recruitment, the study team, led by Principal Investigator Dr Paul Dorman, recruited to time and target.
Principal Investigator Dr Paul Dorman said: “I am delighted to offer patients who experience episodic and chronic migraine the opportunity to take part in the PEARL study. I’d like to thank every participant who took part in the PEARL study in Newcastle.”
Recruiting to time and target was made possible by Dr Dorman recruiting patients from the specialist headache clinic at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The team recruited all participants within three months.
Patient Recruitment Centres were set up to deliver late-phase commercial clinical research at pace and scale within NHS settings.
Find out about other studies the team is recruiting to be visiting the studies page.
