Participation rates in late-stage dementia drug trials have been described by Alzheimer’s Research UK (ARUK) as “shockingly low”.
According to ARUK, just 61 people were recruited to these trials last year, around 100 times fewer than for cancer and 10 times fewer than for either stroke or coronary heart disease.
The charity published the figures at the start of World Alzheimer’s Month, which runs through September, and urges the new PM to promote research participation and help attract more research trials to the UK.
Only 2% of people with dementia are registered with Join Dementia Research, which matches them to dementia studies around the UK, the charity says.
“At a time when we’re seeing almost 150 drugs in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s’ disease, we need investment and leadership across research and the NHS to make sure we have more people taking part in trials overall, and especially those from diverse backgrounds,” said Samantha Benham-Hermetz, ARUK director of policy and public affairs.