Alzheimer’s & Memory Loss Clinical Trials

A) Volunteers are not paid for taking part in this Alzheimer’s research. However, the sponsor will reimburse reasonable travel expenses for you and your study partner for each visit. To give you an example, for most of our current trials, the reimbursement is up to £60 for the volunteer and £60 for the study partner for each visit.

A) This depends on the research study you participate in. The screening period of the study is generally when the visits are most frequent. This is when all the initial investigations are carried out to confirm whether a volunteer is eligible for a study. During the treatment stage of the study, the visits will be less frequent. Some studies require a clinic visit once a month whereas others have visits every six 6 weeks. If you do enrol onto a study, we’ll be able to give you all of your appointments in advance. 

A) Absolutely. Leaving a study will in no way affect your  medical or legal rights. It’s not necessary to give us a reason as to why you want to leave, although we always value any feedback from you. If you choose to leave after you have started taking the study drug, then we are obliged to offer you a final visit, to carry out final medical investigations to ensure your safety,

A) Yes. You will be informed of all of you results and your GP will also be made aware of any significant results. Volunteers receive comprehensive medical care in the study so you can be assured that your health will be closely monitored. These include a medical examination, blood pressure reading, urine tests, ECG, MRI head scan, a PET scan or lumbar puncture. Our team are very experienced and are always available to discuss your participation with you.

A) Yes. If you are found to be eligible for one of the clinical trials, then you can consent to be assigned to a treatment group. Depending on the trial, the trial medication can be in the form of a tablet taken orally once a day or an intravenous infusion once a month.

A) No. You will not know whether you are taking the active study drug or a placebo. A placebo is a dummy pill and doesn’t contain any active drug. You will be randomly assigned into one of the study groups and you and your study team will not know which group you are in. This is called a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled trial.

A) There is a chance that you are in the placebo group, the probability of that will depend on the trial. It may be anywhere between 1:2 to 1:3. Whichever group you are in, you will still benefit from the ongoing medical care and psychometric testing that you will receive as part of the trial. At the end of the trial period, most trials offer the opportunity for you to enter the open label extension. This is when you continue in the trial but on the active drug despite whichever group (ie. Placebo or active drug) group you were in before. The open label extension is un-blinded, so you will know you are on the active drug.

A) Any potential side effects will be listed in the patient information sheets that are sent to you prior to your initial consultation. Most of the side effects are non-specific but some trials have specific side effects that your study doctor will discuss with you. We will work closely with you and your GP to ensure your safety at all times.

A) A study partner is someone who can accompany the participant to some study visits and answer questions about their symptoms. They should be someone who sees the volunteer regularly e.g. a spouse, relative or close friend as they will need to let us know about any potential changes in the volunteer’s health or behaviour. The number of visits they need to attend depends on each study.

A) Yes and no. It is good practice to let your GP know but it is not necessary to inform your GP before your screening visit. If you are found to be eligible for the study at the screening visit, we will inform your GP and obtain a medical summary letter from your GP with your consent. We can also write to other doctors involved in your care should you wish.

A) Re:Cognition Health has clinics across the UK in London, Guildford, Plymouth and Birmingham. We’ve also just opened our first clinic in the USA! You can learn more about us here