Can a common antifungal tame nighttime cortisol? NIH launches pilot study
NCT ID NCT07649317
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 04, 2026 · Updated 26 times
Summary
This pilot study aims to understand how cortisol levels change throughout the day in people with mild autonomous cortisol secretion (MACS) compared to healthy volunteers. It will also test whether a single dose of the drug ketoconazole can lower nighttime cortisol in MACS patients. The study involves 36 adults and includes hospital stays for frequent blood, urine, and saliva sampling.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Ketoconazole
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this study could point toward a treatment that lowers nighttime cortisol in people with MACS, potentially reducing related health problems like high blood pressure and diabetes.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small pilot study with only 36 participants and a single dose of ketoconazole. It is designed to gather information, not to prove a treatment works, and may not lead to any new therapy.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
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As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
RECRUITINGBethesda, Maryland, 20892, United States
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