Participation in a clinical research study is always voluntary. If you decide to participate, you may withdraw at any time and for any reason. If you decide not to participate, your decision will not affect the care you are receiving now or may receive in the future.
A Note on the Study Sponsor
The STRONG SCD study, which was previously sponsored by Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, is now sponsored by Cyclerion Therapeutics. Cyclerion was spun out of Ironwood as an independent, publicly traded company in April 2019 and is focused on developing therapies for patients with serious and orphan diseases.
The Importance of Clinical Research for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
With only two approved treatments, there is an urgent need for new, innovative treatments for patients with SCD—not only for treatments that prevent painful crises and other acute complications, but also for treatments that address the daily symptoms of the disease, including chronic pain. Without people volunteering to be part of clinical research studies (like STRONG SCD), the development and discovery of potential new treatment options would not be possible.
What Is a Placebo?
A placebo is something that looks exactly like the investigational drug, and is delivered in exactly the same way, but does not contain the investigational drug’s active ingredient(s). Placebos help scientists to see whether any changes are due to the investigational drug in question or some other factor.