Fast-track trials to hit Alzheimer's for six

Published on Monday 2 May 2011 15:34

A NEW research programme, using existing therapies for other conditions, could lead to powerful new treatments for Alzheimer's disease within ten years, it was claimed today.

The Drug Discovery Project has identified six drugs which are being fast-tracked for the new studies.

Clinical trials will then be held across the UK to see if they can help patients with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

It is hoped the programme will lead to treatments that provide benefits lasting five times longer than currently available drugs. They may also delay onset of the condition in at-risk patients.

Scientists from the Alzheimer's Society will test the first three drugs over five to ten years at a cost of 15 million.

In comparison, it typically costs more than 600m over a period of 20 years to deliver an effective treatment from scratch.

The six drugs came from a "shortlist" of 30 drugs currently used to treat conditions such as heart disease, inflammation and infection. However the drugs' names are being withheld to minimise any risk for people who may seek them before they have been properly tested.

Delivering treatments within a decade could be possible as the drugs' availability eliminates some of the normal barriers making trials expensive.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting around 465,000 people in the UK. Approximately 82,500 people in Scotland have some form of dementia with 60 per cent suffering from Alzheimer's, its most common form.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "This is an exciting day in the race to find new treatments and eventually a cure for people with dementia. There are not enough clinical trials for dementia happening in the UK which is why Alzheimer's Society is responding by launching Drug Discovery. We need 4,000 every day for the next 10 years for the first phase of this ground-breaking initiative and we are asking all those concerned with dementia to help us raise this. Together we can transform hundreds of thousands of lives."

The charity intends to invest 15m over the next 5-10 years in the project to fast track the six drugs.

A spokeswoman for Alzheimer's Scotland, said: "We'd like to see collaboration between the Drug Discovery Project and people who are working for the Scottish Dementia Clinical Research Network which is focusing on clinical research to find safe and effective treatment for Alzheimer's in Scotland.

"Scotland has its own National Dementia Strategy which has lots of projects underway."

A spokeswoman for the Alzheimer's Society said: "There will be around six three-year research fellowships at universities across the UK and there is no reason why universities in Scotland such as Stirling University shouldn't apply."

The research programme is set to be launched today at the House of Lords by two of the charity's "ambassadors", Oscar-winning writer and actor Julian Fellowes, Lord Fellowes of West Stafford, and TV presenter Fiona Phillips.

Ms Phillips said: "I know from caring for both my mum and my dad the devastating impact that dementia can have. Investing in treatment development today has to be a priority if we are to change this picture."