UK launches new trial to test drugs for Alzheimer's disease

A new clinical trial called AD-SMART has been launched in the UK to test drugs for Alzheimer's disease. According to BBC News, the trial will start by testing two drugs that are already used for other conditions.

The two drugs are metformin and atomoxetine. Metformin is used to treat type 2 diabetes, while atomoxetine is used for ADHD. The study will examine whether these drugs can lessen memory and thinking problems and help people keep their quality of life.

Angela Bucksey, 67, from Cambridgeshire, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in January. She is the first person to begin treatment on the trial.

Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia (a group of illnesses that affect memory and thinking). It affects around 600,000 people in the UK.

AD-SMART is a multi-arm, multi-stage platform trial (a study that tests several treatments at the same time). The treatments are compared against a placebo group (a group that receives a treatment with no active medicine in it). Drugs that show no benefit can be dropped quickly, and new treatments can be added. This approach has previously been used in cancer and motor neurone disease.

An international panel of experts chose the two starting drugs. Chief investigator Prof Paresh Malhotra said both drugs may help reduce brain inflammation (swelling in the brain), which drives neurodegeneration (the gradual damage of brain cells).

The trial will recruit about 1,200 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's at more than 30 sites across the UK. Trial sites in Cambridgeshire, Surrey, London, Southampton and Edinburgh are already open.

The trial is led by the UK Dementia Research Institute and Alzheimer's Research UK, and it is funded by the UK government. Partners include the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. Scientists expect to finish evaluating the first drugs in 2030.