Do You Have High Cholesterol? You May be Able to Join a Clinical Research Study

Heart disease, which includes heart attacks and strokes, is the leading cause of death for adults in the United States.¹ It’s also important to note that more Black adults die from heart disease than any other racial and ethnic group in the U.S.² One of the key things that can raise your chance of developing heart disease is high cholesterol, which is when you have high amounts of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in your blood. LDL-C is often called “bad cholesterol.” If you have a high amount of LDL-C, cholesterol or fatty deposits (called plaque) can stick to the walls of your arteries. This causes the arteries to narrow, which lowers or blocks the flow of blood. High LDL-C, if not treated, can lead to a type of heart disease called atherosclerosis, which can raise your chance of having a heart attack or stroke.  “Historically, people from some racial and ethnic communities have been left out of clinical research. It’s hard for researchers to learn more about investigational medicines when they do not know whether they work in all people,” said Adrelia Allen, Executive Director of Clinical Trial Patient Diversity at Merck. “It’s important to have equity in clinical studies. This...