The Asthma Research Landscape in the U.S. Right Now
Asthma affects more than 25 million people in the U.S., and for a significant portion of them, standard controller medications do not fully keep symptoms in check. This is where clinical trials come in. The National Institutes of Health lists thousands of asthma-related studies on ClinicalTrials.gov, spanning everything from early-phase safety trials to late-stage studies that compare a new drug against existing options.
What is particularly active right now is the biologic drug space. The FDA approved depemokimab (Exdensur) in late 2025 as an add-on maintenance therapy for severe asthma in patients aged 12 and older. It is the first long-acting biologic designed for respiratory conditions with underlying type 2 inflammation, and it requires only two doses per year. Meanwhile, researchers at institutions like Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston are running the ARRIVAL study with tezepelumab (Tezspire), testing whether patients with severe asthma can safely reduce their background maintenance medications after starting the biologic.
The types of trials available vary widely. Some, like the Seabreeze STAT Asthma study sponsored by Connect Biopharma, focus on acute exacerbations and test whether a drug called rademikibart can reduce treatment failure rates within 28 days. Others, such as the SaMBA-WTC trial at Mount Sinai in New York, take a behavioral approach, evaluating whether a self-management support model helps World Trade Center responders gain better asthma control.
A study published in the Journal of Asthma found that fewer than one in ten people in the U.S. treated with asthma biologics would have met the eligibility criteria for the clinical trials of those same biologics. This means the patients who end up on these medications in everyday practice often differ from the carefully selected trial populations—something researchers are actively working to address by broadening enrollment criteria in newer studies.
Comparing Types of Asthma Clinical Trials
The table below gives a snapshot of different trial categories and what they typically involve. The examples come from real studies currently listed or recently active in the U.S.
| Trial Category | Real-World Example | What Participation Involves | Typical Compensation Range | Ideal Participant Profile | Key Considerations |
|---|
| Biologic drug trial | TAPER study (tezepelumab, AstraZeneca) | Regular injections, clinic visits every 4 weeks, lung function tests | Up to $870 in some programs; study medication provided | Adults with severe asthma on high-dose ICS/LABA | 18-month commitment; travel to research site |
| Acute exacerbation trial | Seabreeze STAT Asthma (rademikibart) | Emergency treatment during an asthma flare-up, follow-up monitoring | Varies by site | People experiencing acute exacerbations with eosinophilic phenotype | Short-term but requires being near a study site during an episode |
| Behavioral intervention trial | SaMBA-WTC (Mount Sinai) | Self-management education sessions, questionnaires, inhaler technique assessment | Varies by study | WTC responders with asthma | No experimental drug involved; 6-month follow-up |
| Screening and observational study | UVA Asthma Screening Protocol | Allergy testing, breathing tests, blood draws | Around $125 for screening completion | Adults 18-65 with mild allergic asthma | A gateway to qualifying for future drug trials |
| Phase 1 safety trial | EPA inhalation studies (UNC-Chapel Hill) | One 4-hour visit, bronchoscopy, blood draws | Approximately $475 upon completion | Healthy adults or those with mild asthma, ages 18-40 | Requires 48-hour local stay after procedure |
Compensation in these studies tends to reflect the time commitment and invasiveness of procedures. A simple screening visit might pay in the low hundreds, while a multi-year biologic trial with dozens of clinic visits can offer several thousand dollars. The Brigham and Women's Asthma Research Center, for instance, notes that compensation across their studies can reach up to $4,900 depending on duration and procedures involved.
How People Find the Right Trial
The starting point for most Americans is ClinicalTrials.gov, a database maintained by the National Library of Medicine. You can search by condition ("asthma"), location (city or ZIP code), and recruitment status. Filtering for "recruiting" or "not yet recruiting" studies narrows things down to trials that are actively seeking participants.
Beyond the federal database, the American Lung Association maintains a clinical trials finder on its website that connects patients with studies across the country. Academic medical centers often have dedicated research pages. The Asthma Research Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the University of Virginia's Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai are three examples of institutions that regularly post their open studies online and provide contact information for recruitment coordinators.
A practical approach that works for many people is to start with a screening study. These are typically low-commitment—a few visits for testing—and the results determine whether you qualify for a more involved treatment trial. UVA's screening protocol, for example, involves allergy skin tests, lung function measurements, and blood work. If you match the profile a particular drug trial needs, the research team will let you know.
One thing to understand is that eligibility criteria can be narrow. A trial for a severe asthma biologic might require a specific eosinophil count, a history of exacerbations despite using high-dose inhaled corticosteroids, and no history of certain other conditions. This is not meant to be exclusionary without reason; it helps researchers isolate the treatment effect and keep participants safe. The trade-off, as the earlier-cited journal study pointed out, is that many real-world patients who might benefit do not fit the trial mold.
What Actually Happens When You Join
After an initial phone screening, you will typically visit the research site for an informed consent process. This is a detailed conversation where the study team explains every procedure, risk, and responsibility. You can ask questions, take the consent form home, and think it over before signing.
Once enrolled, the rhythm of a trial depends on its design. In a biologic study like the ARRIVAL trial, participants visit the site every four weeks for subcutaneous injections and monitoring. Lung function tests, blood draws, and questionnaires about symptom control happen at regular intervals. Some studies provide the study drug and related medications at no cost during the trial period, and parking vouchers or travel reimbursement are common.
The safety net is important to understand. Every trial operates under an Institutional Review Board (IRB) that reviews the study protocol and monitors ongoing safety data. You can withdraw at any time, for any reason, without penalty. If an adverse event occurs, the research team has protocols in place to manage it.
A participant named Sarah, for instance, enrolled in a biologic trial at a Boston research center after years of cycling through inhalers that left her still wheezing after climbing a flight of stairs. The commitment meant driving to the site every month for nearly a year, but she described the experience as structured and transparent—every test was explained in advance, and she knew she could stop at any point.
What to Weigh Before Signing Up
The time commitment is the most common hurdle. Some trials span 18 months or longer with frequent visits. If the research site is not nearby, the logistics can become burdensome even with travel support.
There is also the possibility of receiving a placebo. In randomized controlled trials, neither you nor the research team knows who gets the active drug and who gets the placebo. Some studies offer an open-label extension phase afterward, where all participants receive the active treatment, but this is not universal.
On the upside, participants gain access to cutting-edge treatments years before they reach the market, along with close medical monitoring that often exceeds routine clinical care. The lung function tests alone can provide insights into your asthma that a regular doctor's visit might not capture.
For those concerned about cost, it is worth noting that the study sponsor typically covers all research-related procedures and study medications. Your regular health insurance is not billed for trial-specific tests. Routine care that continues outside the trial remains your responsibility.
Practical Steps to Get Started
Pull up ClinicalTrials.gov and type "asthma" along with your city or state. Filter by "recruiting" status. Read through the eligibility criteria carefully—if you match most but not all of them, call the listed contact anyway. Sometimes the criteria are applied with some flexibility, and a screening visit can clarify things.
The American Lung Association's clinical trial finder is another solid resource. If you prefer a more guided approach, ask your pulmonologist or allergist. Many specialists are aware of trials at nearby academic centers and can make referrals.
Before your first call to a research coordinator, jot down your asthma history: age of diagnosis, current medications and doses, number of exacerbations or emergency visits in the past year, and any other health conditions. This is the information they will ask for first.
A trial that does not work for your schedule or condition is not a dead end. New studies open regularly, and research centers often keep a database of interested individuals to contact when a matching study launches. Getting on that list costs nothing and keeps the door open.
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