Press Release: Cures Within Reach announces upcoming clinical trials to address veterans’ issues

Cures Within Reach announces upcoming clinical trials to address veterans’ issues

These two new trials will join its Veterans Initiative research portfolio

April 26, 2022

Cures Within Reach, a global nonprofit that identifies and funds medical repurposing research to improve patients’ lives, today announced two upcoming clinical trials that will address the high priority medical needs of veterans and active military. In addition to the two new trials, Cures Within Reach is already funding three ongoing clinical repurposing trials through its Veterans Initiative, which addresses veterans and active military medical needs, including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and brain injuries.

The two upcoming trials are expected to start as early as Summer 2022, after regulatory and related approvals. The upcoming trials are:

• Testing Low-Dose Clonidine for PTSD in Veterans at Aurora Health Care Inc. near Milwaukee

• Using an Approved Depression Treatment to Restore Cognitive Function in Veterans with Mild TBI and PTSD at Edward Hines Junior VA Hospital in Chicago

Two of the three ongoing veterans-related clinical trials were selected from Cures Within Reach’s 2021 Veterans Request for Proposals. Cures Within Reach received 32 proposal submissions from 18 US states and Washington DC, with more than 55% from or collaborating with a Veterans Administration institution. The two trials already underway are:

• Repurposing N-Acetylcysteine to Reduce Oxidative Stress, an Important Factor in Traumatic Brain Injury at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque

• Enhancing PTSD Treatment for Veterans via Prebiotic Supplementation at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago

The third ongoing clinical trial focuses on limb trauma patients and is an example of Cures Within Reach’s catalytic impact. In 2019, Cures Within Reach began funding Dr. Elfar at Penn State and his clinical trial testing a generic multiple sclerosis drug to diagnose nerve damage in limb trauma patients with a $50,000 grant. In January 2022, he received a $2 million grant from the NIH for a larger follow-on study.

Cures Within Reach focuses on first-in-human or proof-of-concept clinical repurposing trials that catalyze the follow-on funding needed to continue the research. Cures Within Reach’s approach helps build evidence for publication and follow-on trials allowing clinicians to make their own decisions with their patients (called off-label use), or for regulatory approval by the FDA or other agencies.

Cures Within Reach’s Veterans Initiative finds and funds clinical repurposing projects that address unmet and high priority medical needs of veterans and active military. This initiative utilizes the speed and cost-effectiveness of testing already approved therapies in new indications to improve the quality and length of life of retired military veterans and active US military. Cures Within Reach’s Veterans initiative is supported by donors such as the Kahlert Foundation and others.

“As a retired US Army Active Duty / Reserve officer and now a patient diagnosed with blood cancer, I personally understand the value of the clinical repurposing trials funded by Cures Within Reach,” said Arthur T. Alm, a veteran and Cures Within Reach donor. “Results from these trials could lead to critical improvements in the quality of life for those who have honorably served our country. I’m proud to give back to my fellow veterans by supporting Cures Within Reach.”