National Eczema Treatment Trial Looking For Participants In Tulsa

It is that time of year in which your skin feels extra dry and itchy.

About 30% of everyone in the United States deals with atopic dermatitis or eczema year-round.

News On 6 talked to a local doctor and a research site manager, who are working on a national trial to help treat the chronic condition.

Dr. John Tedesco with Green Country Surgical Arts said eczema needs more research and if untreated, it can get worse.

"We actually have a couple of patients that affected their social lives so badly they had to drop out of school and be homeschooled, and through these trial programs, we were able to the point where their disease was controlled enough that they were finally able to go back to school,” said Dr. Tedesco.

Patients are getting that help here in Green Country.

Dr. Tedesco said he has been sending some of his patients to Essential Medical Research in Tulsa to participate in a national trial for those with moderate to severe eczema.

"Medicine at its foundation is a science, and the only way that we learn in science is through experimentation," said Tedesco.

Participants who make it past a phone screening will then come into the Essential Medical Research office for a skin assessment and possible lab work.

Whitney DeNeen, managing director of Essential Medical Research, said her office has eight participants in the trial for the pharmaceutical company, Amgen.

"Currently, we're having patients who are seeing relief in their symptoms, overall skin improvement within approximately a month of treatment,” said DenNeen.

She said it is rewarding research for everyone involved.

"They get access to board-certified physician visits on a regular basis, they get lab work, they get disease-specific assessments that they might not otherwise have access to, all of this at no cost and no insurance burden,” said DeNeen.

Essential Medical Research is looking for at least 12 more trial participants in the next three months.