UK trial tests diabetes and ADHD drugs as Alzheimer's treatments
A new UK trial will test several drugs for Alzheimer's disease at the same time, starting with medicines for diabetes and ADHD, the BBC, pharmaphorum and The BMJ reported. Scientists hope it will cut years off the search for treatments. About 1,200 patients will take part.
A new trial in the UK will test several drugs for Alzheimer's disease at once, according to the BBC, pharmaphorum and The BMJ. Scientists hope it can cut years from the search for new treatments.
The trial is called AD-SMART. It starts with two drugs already used for other illnesses, the outlets reported. Metformin treats type 2 diabetes. Atomoxetine treats attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.
Both drugs may help reduce swelling in the brain, which helps drive the disease, the BBC and pharmaphorum reported.
The study will look at whether the drugs can ease memory and thinking problems and help people keep their quality of life, the outlets said. No current NHS treatment can slow or stop Alzheimer's, The BMJ reported. Medicines can only manage the symptoms.
Most trials test one drug at a time. This one tests several at once against a single group that gets a dummy pill, the BBC reported. A drug that does not help can be dropped fast and a new one added. The same design has been used in cancer and motor neuron disease, the BBC said.
"For too long, Alzheimer's research has moved at the pace of one drug, one trial, one answer," said Paresh Malhotra, the lead researcher, according to the BBC. Alzheimer's Research UK said the trial could more than halve the usual testing time, pharmaphorum reported.
About 1,200 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's will join, the BBC and pharmaphorum reported. Results on the first two drugs are due in 2030.
Angela Bucksey, 67, from Cambridgeshire, is the first person to start treatment, the BBC reported. "Instead of just sitting there, you're standing up and saying, I will fight back," she said.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose father died of Alzheimer's, said he was proud the trial is starting in the UK, the BBC and pharmaphorum reported.
Alzheimer's affects about 600,000 people in the UK, the BBC and The BMJ reported.
What we know: The trial has started, testing metformin and atomoxetine first.
What we don't: Whether either drug will help, which won't be known until about 2030.
Where outlets agree The BBC, pharmaphorum and The BMJ report that the AD-SMART trial will test drugs for Alzheimer's in parallel, starting with metformin and atomoxetine.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.