If you’re one of the nearly 10 million people in the United States who is immunocompromised, it means your immune system isn’t working at full strength. You can’t fight off diseases or infections such as Covid-19 as well as people with healthy immune systems. Conditions such as lupus, diabetes and asthma can weaken your immune system, as can getting treatment for cancer or having an organ transplant. And vaccines, including the Covid-19 vaccines, don’t always work as well as they do in healthy people. Any chance of infection can be scary, serious or even deadly.
In theory, new medicines and vaccines are the best way to keep vulnerable people, such as those with compromised immune systems, safe from infections. And clinical trials — scientific studies that identify and test new vaccines and treatments — are key to finding these new medicine and vaccines.
People who are immunocompromised need more protection from infections than people with healthy immune systems, but they actually have less protection. This is because, out of concern for safety, people with weakened immune systems have historically been left out of the research that helps scientists and medical professionals discover new vaccines and treatments. One study showed that more than half of clinical trials on flu and pneumococcal vaccines left immunocompromised people out, as did around 4 out of 10 of Covid-19 vaccine studies. Some studies explicitly leave out immunocompromised patients because the treatments themselves are designed for people with otherwise healthy immune systems.
Why participate in a clinical trial
When you join a clinical trial, you’ll be randomly assigned to a group that either gets the drug or vaccine being studied or does not. You won’t know which group you’re in until the study is over.
Taking part in a clinical trial may give you early access to vaccines or treatments before they’re available to the public. If it works, you’ll have gotten those benefits without having to wait.
Participating in clinical trials is also a way to contribute to scientific discovery. By being willing to be part of research on a new treatment or vaccine, you help others access drugs or vaccines that may save their lives or protect them from serious disease. Millions of people each year benefit from medical advances because a smaller group of patients were willing to take part in clinical studies. For example, Covid-19 vaccines were developed at record speed in part because of volunteers who participated in clinical trials. More than
I’m Immunocompromised and a Clinical Trial Changed My Life
- ¿Es seguro participar en un ensayo clínico si eres inmunodeficiente?
- Soy inmunodeficiente y un ensayo clínico cambió mi vida
COVID-19 Clinical Trials
- A study for the protection of Covid-19 in people with impaired immune system (SUPERNOVA)
- A Nasal Treatment for Covid-19
- A study to Evaluate EDP-235 in Non-hospitalized Adults With COVID-19 (SPRINT)
Clinical Trials for Immunocompromised People
- Genetic Basis of Immunodeficiency
- Autologous Gene Therapy for Artemis-Deficient SCID
This educational resource was created with support from AstraZeneca.
