Volunteers are needed to take part in a King’s College Hospital trial of a potential new cannabis-based treatment to relieve dementia symptoms.
Researchers are keen for people living in London care homes to join phase II of the Sativex® trial, an oral spray made from cannabis compounds which could help treat symptoms of agitation and aggression in dementia patients.
Around half of people living with dementia experience these symptoms, which can be particularly challenging for their families and carers.
To date there have been no studies looking at the potential benefits of this medicine for people with dementia, and there are some important questions that need to be answered before large-scale studies can be done.
The trial, which is being funded by Alzheimer’s Research UK, will also investigate how easy it is to run a trial across multiple nursing homes, which will help them to best design a larger phase III clinical trial.
Researchers are inviting people with Alzheimer’s disease between the ages of 55 and 90 to take part in the study. They must be resident in a care home within greater London, clinically diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and experiencing regular anxiety, agitation and/or aggressive behaviours.
Volunteers will either receive a course of treatment with the cannabinoid-based medicine, which is given as an oral spray, or a dummy treatment known as a placebo. Those selected to take part in the trial will take part for four weeks and will begin the study on a low dose (1 spray per day), building up to the top dose of four sprays a day by week three.
The Alzheimer’s Research UK funded researcher Chris Albertyn, who is running the study, said: “This phase II clinical trial is an important stepping stone on the way to a potential new medicine for dementia.
“We will compare the results from those taking the medicine and those taking the dummy drug, to help determine whether the medicine is safe and well-tolerated.
“An additional aim will be to take a look at whether there may be any positive benefits for those taking the medicine, such as improving quality of life and reducing associated distress for those caring for them.
“We would love to see care home residents in greater London, or nearby, who are experiencing regular anxiety or agitation with Alzheimer’s disease to take part in this research. If you, a loved one or someone you know could benefit from this opportunity, please get in contact with the team.”
Katie Puckering, head of information services at Alzheimer’s Research UK said:
“While a major focus for dementia research is to develop drugs that slow or stop the progression of the physical diseases that cause dementia, what really matters is that a medicine benefits people’s day-to-day lives.
“This is a rigorous clinical trial of a medication that has been carefully prepared, and which will be tested in circumstances where the health and wellbeing of participants can be closely monitored.
“There are never enough people involved in dementia research: we desperately need more volunteers to help take on what is the greatest medical challenge of the 21st century.”