MND Association to fund clinical trials

Which drug will be tested in the first trial and when will it begin?

So long as there are no unforeseen obstacles, an Association-funded European clinical trial of lithium carbonate could begin in the first half of 2009. This is a tremendous step forward for the Association, and wonderful news for all of us who want to see MND research accelerate.

Currently the evidence to support the use of lithium as a treatment for MND is not strong, but it certainly cannot simply be discounted - given that there is both a scientific mechanism as to why the drug could work and also the size of the effect observed in the initial Italian study.

Why are we in a position to fund trials now?

This has been made possible because of the increase in money available for research, and because as an Association we are now a bigger and more ambitious player in the UK and global MND research community.

Clinical trials take a long time to come to fruition, and the journey from written proposals to actually involving patients is not without potential pitfalls, as drug-trial designers strive to ensure that their research meets the highest possible standards.

The UK clinicians are telling us that they need answers to assist their clinical decision-making on whether or not they should be making this drug available. The fact that neurologists are spearheading this study and donating significant amounts of their time, indicates their desire to get a clear answer.

The lithium trial has been adopted by DeNDRoN, the Dementias and Neurodegenerative Disease Research Network. This network offers, for the first time, an opportunity for clinicians to plan and run their own trials, instead of having to wait perhaps years for drug companies to come along.

How will the European lithium study complement the study in North America?

This European study will be run in parallel with a recently announced North American study. It is necessary to conduct both of these trials due to the requirement to repeat experiments to ensure that the results obtained from both trials are correct. The results found will also be comparable and therefore will provide us with more data, quicker. To conduct one worldwide study would provide insurmountable logistical obstacles.