PEOPLE in Worcestershire and across the West Midlands in early stages of dementia are being invited to take part in a clinical trial.

The three-year trial at Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital is looking into the impact of the diabetic drug liraglutide on dementia.

Volunteers will either be given a year-long course of the drug or a placebo and brain scans and cognitive tests to measure whether the medication can reverse the biological causes of Alzheimer’s.

If the trial is a success the medication could be given to patients with the condition within the next five to ten years, potentially benefitting up to 850,000 people across the county, including 73,000 in the West Midlands.

Director of research and development at the Alzheimer’s Society, which funded the project, Dr Doug Brown said developing new drugs can take decades and hundreds of millions of pounds, but repurposing existing medicines could save years and benefit thousands.

“Early evidence shows that this drug which we already know is safe for people to use could potentially reverse the biological causes of Alzheimer’s even in the late stages,” he said. “We now hope that by funding this exciting new trial we can bring it closer to a position where it could one day be improving the lives of people with dementia.”

The project follows research showing people with type two diabetes are more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than healthy people of the same age.

To find out more call 0208 383 3704 or email memory@imperial.ac.uk.