Frequently Asked Questions: Research

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Answer:

Every new drug must pass through a series of rigorous clinical trials before they can be made available to the public. Clinical trials are tests in humans that follow after testing in animal models and screens for safety and toxicity.

The design of a clinical trial is crucial. The best trials are randomised controlled trials (RCTs). In an RCT, the drug or treatment is compared with a 'control' treatment - this is usually an existing drug or a placebo.

Participants in the trial are then randomly allocated to either the treatment or the control group but are not told which group they are in.

In the best trials, the doctors giving the treatment also do not know which group people are in - this is known as 'double-blind'. These measures ensure that the results of the trial will be unbiased and as reliable as possible.

Clinical trials are carried out by pharmaceutical companies and research institutes. They are very expensive and it can be difficult to find suitable participants. Alzheimer's Society supports a number of initiatives that help people with dementia get access to information about clinical trials.

Find out more about getting involved in clinical trials

Clinical trials that Alzheimer's Society are involved in

As clinical trials are very expensive Alzheimer's Society is unable to fun full-scale RCTs. However we are involved in joint funding initiatives and in funding pilot clinical trials that pave the way for the trials of the future. Details of these are below.