We started Power when my dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and I struggled to help him access the latest immunotherapy. Hopefully Power makes it simpler for you to explore promising new treatments, during what is probably a difficult time.
Trial Phase
Trial Status
Paid Participation
Trial Details
Key Eligibility Criteria
15 Participants Needed
"As a healthy volunteer, I like to participate in as many trials as I'm able to. It's a good way to help research and earn money."
"I changed my diet in 2020 and I’ve lost 95 pounds from my highest weight (283). I am 5’3”, female, and now 188. I still have a 33 BMI. I've been doing research on alternative approaches to continue my progress, which brought me here to consider clinical trials."
"My orthopedist recommended a half replacement of my right knee. I have had both hips replaced. Currently have arthritis in knee, shoulder, and thumb. I want to avoid surgery, and I'm open-minded about trying a trial before using surgery as a last resort."
"I've tried several different SSRIs over the past 23 years with no luck. Some of these new treatments seem interesting... haven't tried anything like them before. I really hope that one could work."
"I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer three months ago, metastatic to my liver, and I have been receiving and responding well to chemotherapy. My blood work revealed that my tumor markers have gone from 2600 in the beginning to 173 as of now, even with the delay in treatment, they are not going up. CT Scans reveal they have been shrinking as well. However, chemo is seriously deteriorating my body. I have 4 more treatments to go in this 12 treatment cycle. I am just interested in learning about my other options, if any are available to me."
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Each trial will compensate patients a different amount, but $50-100 for each visit is a fairly common range for Phase 2–4 trials (Phase 1 trials often pay substantially more). Further, most trials will cover the costs of a travel to-and-from the clinic.
After a researcher reviews your profile, they may choose to invite you in to a screening appointment, where they'll determine if you meet 100% of the eligibility requirements. If you do, you'll be sorted into one of the treatment groups, and receive your study drug. For some trials, there is a chance you'll receive a placebo. Across Acne trials 30% of clinical trials have a placebo. Typically, you'll be required to check-in with the clinic every month or so. The average trial length for Acne is 12 months.
Not all studies recruit healthy volunteers: usually, Phase 1 studies do. Participating as a healthy volunteer means you will go to a research facility several times over a few days or weeks to receive a dose of either the test treatment or a "placebo," which is a harmless substance that helps researchers compare results. You will have routine tests during these visits, and you'll be compensated for your time and travel, with the number of appointments and details varying by study.
The phase of a trial reveals what stage the drug is in to get approval for a specific condition. Phase 1 trials are the trials to collect safety data in humans. Phase 2 trials are those where the drug has some data showing safety in humans, but where further human data is needed on drug effectiveness. Phase 3 trials are in the final step before approval. The drug already has data showing both safety and effectiveness. As a general rule, Phase 3 trials are more promising than Phase 2, and Phase 2 trials are more promising than phase 1.
Clinical trials are almost always free to participants, and so do not require insurance. The only exception here are trials focused on cancer, because only a small part of the typical treatment plan is actually experimental. For these cancer trials, participants typically need insurance to cover all the non-experimental components.
Most recently, we added ELAPR002f Gel for Acne Scars, Social Skin for Acne and ATR04-484 for Acneiform Rash to the Power online platform.
There isn’t a one-time, permanent cure for acne—skin, hormones and genetics can always change—so doctors focus on long-term control. A single 4-6-month course of oral isotretinoin keeps roughly 70-85 % of patients clear for years, but up to one-third may need another course and the drug requires strict pregnancy prevention, blood tests and monitoring for side-effects. If acne returns or isotretinoin isn’t suitable, topical retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, short antibiotic courses or hormonal medicines can keep break-outs in check, so working with a dermatologist to tailor a plan is key.
Clinical trials can be worthwhile if you are comfortable balancing potential benefits—access to cutting-edge therapy, closer medical monitoring, and helping advance science—against possible downsides such as unknown side-effects, more clinic visits, or being assigned to the standard-care or placebo group. Ask the study team about the purpose, possible risks, time commitment, and what happens after the trial; then weigh these facts against your current treatment options and personal priorities to decide whether joining fits your situation.
Medications most like Accutane are other oral retinoids that shrink oil glands: different brands/generics of isotretinoin (Claravis, Absorica, Amnesteem, Myorisan, etc.) and, where available, alitretinoin or acitretin, which work similarly but have limited approval or longer pregnancy-avoidance rules. Treatments such as antibiotics, birth-control pills, spironolactone, or laser devices can improve acne, yet they control symptoms rather than permanently reset the oil gland the way Accutane and its sister retinoids do.
If you leave a pimple alone, one of two things happens: in shallow whiteheads the clogged pore eventually opens so a tiny amount of pus comes out, dries, and washes away, while in deeper bumps your immune cells break the pus down and the fluid is carried off through nearby lymph and blood vessels. Either way the material is cleared within days to weeks, so the bump flattens on its own. Squeezing can rupture the pore and push bacteria deeper, so use warm compresses and see a clinician if a lesion is very large, painful, or red and spreading.
Yes. Puberty triggers the same oil-gland and bacterial changes now as it did centuries ago, so adolescents 500 years ago (and far earlier) got pimples too. Physicians from Hippocrates in ancient Greece to Girolamo Mercuriale in 16th-century Italy wrote about—and tried to treat—these facial “pustules,” confirming that acne is a timeless human condition.
Think of the two medicines as tools for different jobs: Accutane (isotretinoin) is usually chosen when acne is severe, scarring, or unresponsive to other treatments in any gender, while spironolactone mainly helps adult women whose breakouts flare with hormones. Accutane is a short, one-time 4-6-month course but demands strict birth-control and monthly lab checks; spironolactone is an ongoing daily pill that stops working if you stop it and needs only occasional potassium tests. Your dermatologist will match the drug (or sometimes both in sequence) to your acne pattern, gender, and comfort with these safety rules.
Small but good-quality studies suggest a 5 % tea tree oil gel can modestly shrink inflamed and clogged pores, performing similarly to standard 5 % benzoyl-peroxide but taking longer to show results. It is safest as a once- or twice-daily spot treatment for mild acne—first patch-test and stick to products that clearly state the concentration—while seeking medical advice for ongoing or severe breakouts and never swallowing the oil.
Accutane is held back until the end because, although it can permanently clear severe acne, it also carries serious risks—especially birth defects—and requires strict birth-control rules, regular blood tests, and close doctor follow-up. Dermatologists therefore try safer options first (topical retinoids, benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics, hormonal pills) and turn to Accutane only when acne is severe, scarring, or hasn’t responded to those therapies.
Nearly all acne contains skin bacteria; the tell-tale sign it’s “hormonal” is a predictable surge of deep, tender cysts along the jaw or chin that spike around periods, pregnancy, or a change in birth-control—situations that usually respond best to therapies that calm androgens (certain oral contraceptives, spironolactone). If break-outs are mainly scattered whiteheads, blackheads, or small red pimples that improve with benzoyl-peroxide or topical retinoids, clogged pores and bacterial overgrowth are probably the main issue; give an OTC benzoyl-peroxide + adapalene routine 6–8 weeks and see a dermatologist sooner for scarring cysts, irregular periods, or no improvement.
Prednisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory drug; by rapidly shutting down the chemical signals that make pimples red, swollen, and painful, it can make skin look clearer within days. But it doesn’t fix the root causes of acne (excess oil, clogged pores, hormones), and as the dose is lowered those factors return—sometimes with extra “steroid acne” caused by the medicine itself—so it’s only used as a short-term rescue, not a long-term solution.