Diabetes and ADHD drugs to be tested on Alzheimer's patients in new study
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A clinical trial has been launched in the UK which scientists hope could cut years from the search for new treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
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It will test multiple drugs simultaneously, starting with two repurposed medicines already used to treat type 2 diabetes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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The study will examine whether the drugs can lessen symptoms such as memory and thinking problems, and help people maintain their quality of life.
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Angela Bucksey, 67, from Cambridgeshire, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in January and is the first person to begin treatment on the trial, called AD-SMART.
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"We have Alzheimer's in the family," she told the BBC.
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"My mother had it and my aunts, so it was a disappointment rather than a shock when I was diagnosed because I knew it would restrict my life.
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"But I was determined that it wasn't going to define me."
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Angela said she felt empowered joining the trial because "at least you are doing something".
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"Instead of just sitting there, you're standing up and saying, I will fight back."
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Alzheimer's is the most common type of dementia, affecting around 600,000 people in the UK.
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose father died from Alzheimer's last month, said he knew how it felt to lose a loved one to dementia, and had seen first-hand the devastating impact of the disease on families.
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"That's why I'm proud to see this trial being launched in the UK, so that cutting-edge treatments can reach patients here as soon as possible," he said.
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The AD-SMART study is what's known as a multi-arm, multi-stage platform trial where several treatments are tested simultaneously, with the results compared with one group of participants taking a placebo or dummy.
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This means those involved have a higher likelihood of getting an active treatment than in a traditional trial.
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If any drug isn't showing benefit it can be dropped quickly and a new treatment added in its place - the approach has been used successfully in cancer and motor neurone disease.
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The two initial drugs being tested are metformin, used to treat type 2 diabetes, and atomoxetine, for ADHD, which were selected by an international panel of experts.
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Both drugs may help reduce brain inflammation, which is a driver of neurodegeneration, said chief investigator Prof Paresh Malhotra, group leader at the UK Dementia Research Institute Centre for Care Research & Technology at Imperial College London.
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"For too long, Alzheimer's research has moved at the pace of one drug, one trial, one answer - sometimes taking a decade or more before we know if we've found something that works," he told the BBC.
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"We are applying advances from cancer and other conditions to accelerate testing of treatments for people with Alzheimer's disease."
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For the drugs to be successful, the study has to show that they have beneficial effects on thinking and the ability to carry out everyday activities.
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"That's what patients and their carers care about," said Prof Malhotra.
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Some 1,200 participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer's will be recruited at more than 30 sites across the UK. Sites in Cambridgeshire, Surrey, London, Southampton and Edinburgh are already open.
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Scientists expect to finish evaluating the first drugs in 2030 and, in that time, additional treatments are likely to be added.
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All the participants will have regular health checks including cognitive tests, which will help researchers assess how effective the treatments are.
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Angela Bucksey's husband Steve, who is her study partner, told the BBC: "Joining the trial has brought us back from the despair of a diagnosis which everybody recognises is non-recoverable.
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"People who know we are on a drug trial understand that we're doing something about it and, rather than be sorry for us, they can be encouraging."
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Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK said "time is precious" for people living with Alzheimer's disease and more treatment options are urgently needed.
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People with a confirmed Alzheimer's diagnosis who would like to take part can register their interest on the AD-SMART website, external.
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The trial is being led by the UK Dementia Research Institute and Alzheimer's Research UK.
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Partners include the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Medical Research Council and Health Data Research UK, with funding by UK government.
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