Louisiana Clinical Trials Report — July 2026

Louisiana residents considering a clinical trial should check eligibility soon: 37 recruiting studies are expected to close within the next 90 days. Six of those studies accept healthy volunteers, creating a limited opportunity for people without a diagnosed condition. Louisiana currently has 857 recruiting trials across 53 cities and 646 research sites.

July brought 8 new trials, a sharp decline from 22 in May and 19 in June. The slowdown does not eliminate options, but it makes the closing-soon group especially important for people who already match a study’s condition, age, or other eligibility requirements.

Closing enrollment puts several conditions on a short clock

The studies approaching closure cover a broad mix of medical needs. Hypertension is the most frequently represented condition, with 2 closing-soon trials. Other affected areas include skin disease, respiratory illness, cardiovascular conditions, neurological disease, developmental disorders, and bleeding.

• Hypertension — 2 trials closing within 90 days
• Agitation or psychomotor symptoms, atopic dermatitis, Alzheimer disease, moderate or severe ARDS, asthma, acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, atrial fibrillation, autism spectrum disorder, and bleeding — 1 each

Healthy volunteers have 6 opportunities among the closing-soon studies, but none of the 8 trials that opened in July accept healthy volunteers. That contrast makes timing particularly important for healthy adults: 88 healthy-volunteer studies are recruiting statewide overall, yet the most accessible study may depend on location, screening capacity, and how soon enrollment ends. Prospective participants should confirm that a trial is still accepting applications and allow time for prescreening and required visits.

July’s new studies emphasize obesity, pregnancy, skin disease, and heart failure

The month’s new research spans ten listed conditions, with one new trial each involving heart failure, hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, interstitial lung disease, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, maternal health care, moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, induction of labor in nulliparous women, obesity, overweight, and Parkinson’s disease.

Three of the new studies are drug trials. Two are classified as other interventions, while behavioral, combination-product, device, and dietary-supplement studies each account for 1 trial. This gives Louisiana participants choices beyond conventional medication research, including care-delivery programs, procedures, devices, and supportive interventions.

• Heart failure, hypertensive disorder of pregnancy, interstitial lung disease, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, maternal health care, moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, obesity, overweight, and Parkinson’s disease — 1 new trial each
• Nulliparous women scheduled for labor induction — 1 new trial

Several new studies stand out because of their size, Phase 3 status, or sponsor. Amgen opened a large Phase 3 extension study for people with obesity or overweight. Nektar Therapeutics launched a Phase 3 atopic dermatitis study that includes adolescents and adults. Tulane University is evaluating a connected blood-pressure monitoring model during pregnancy and postpartum, while the VA is studying virtual palliative care for Veterans with heart failure or COPD.

• NCT07684235 — Amgen’s Phase 3 extension trial of maridebart cafraglutide for long-term efficacy, safety, and tolerability in people with obesity or overweight. The study plans to enroll 3,200 participants and extends an earlier trial, NCT06858839.
• NCT07690371 — Nektar Therapeutics’ Phase 3 randomized, double-blind study of rezpegaldesleukin for participants age 12 and older with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Planned enrollment is 510.
• NCT07691541 — Tulane University’s Connected MOM Plus initiative, enrolling up to 2,000 participants to improve blood-pressure monitoring during pregnancy and after delivery, particularly for people with limited access to health care.
• NCT07714252 — The VA Office of Research and Development’s virtual nurse and social-worker palliative care study for Veterans with heart failure or COPD, with planned enrollment of 420.
• NCT07717502 — Ochsner Health System’s RAPID-DS study, comparing cervical-ripening approaches for nulliparous patients with singleton, vertex pregnancies at term who are undergoing labor induction. The trial plans to enroll 260 participants.

New opportunities are concentrated in four Louisiana cities

New July activity is concentrated in the state’s largest research and medical hubs. New Orleans leads with 4 new trials, followed by Baton Rouge with 2. Lafayette and Shreveport each added 1 trial.

• New Orleans — 4 new trials
• Baton Rouge — 2
• Lafayette — 1
• Shreveport — 1

The pattern suggests that July’s openings are clustered in major metropolitan and academic-health centers rather than evenly distributed statewide. New Orleans offers the broadest set of new options, including pregnancy-related research, atopic dermatitis, and other specialty studies. Baton Rouge residents may find opportunities through Louisiana State University and other regional research networks, while Lafayette and Shreveport residents should search by condition and consider whether travel to another city is practical.

Statewide access remains broader than the July opening pattern suggests. The 646 research sites supporting recruiting studies are spread across 53 cities, so people should search the full recruiting database rather than limit themselves to newly opened trials. A study may have an available site nearby even if its main sponsor or largest enrollment center is elsewhere.

Who is most likely to find a match now?

Women planning pregnancy, currently pregnant, postpartum, or preparing for labor induction may want to act promptly because two new studies are female-only. One includes nulliparous women scheduled for induction, and another addresses pregnancy and postpartum blood-pressure monitoring. Children are included in 1 of the new trials, while older adults are included in 8. No July new trial is male-only.

People with obesity or overweight, moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, heart failure, COPD, Parkinson’s disease, or hypertension-related concerns have especially clear reasons to review current listings. Veterans with heart failure or COPD may be eligible for the VA-supported virtual palliative-care study, while adolescents with significant atopic dermatitis may qualify for Nektar’s Phase 3 trial.

Industry sponsors account for 4 of July’s new trials, with Amgen, Nektar Therapeutics, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and Imbed Biosciences among the named companies. Three trials fall under other sponsor classifications, including Ochsner Health System, Tulane University, Louisiana State University, and the VA Office of Research and Development; federal involvement accounts for 1 trial. These sponsors give the month’s openings a mix of large-industry, university, health-system, and public-sector research.

Louisiana’s monthly pipeline has fluctuated from 16 new trials in February to 22 in June before falling to 8 in July; the reported August figure is 1. With fewer fresh openings and dozens of studies nearing their projected close, patients and healthy adults who find a promising match should begin the screening process now, while additional opportunities may emerge later in the summer.