Alzheimer's Disease: Joining a Clinical Trial
What clinical trials are available for those with Alzheimer's?
Though there is no cure for Alzheimer's, there are treatments and actions you can take to better manage life with the disease. At each stage of the disease, there are medical and care-related options that need to be considered, as well as safety issues.
Before any new medicine can be used to treat patients, it must be thoroughly tested to make sure it is safe and effective. Doctors who specialize in research conduct clinical trials to evaluate new medicines as well as other treatments, like exercise, diet, and even education programs to better treat — and perhaps one day prevent — Alzheimer's disease.
Thousands of people with Alzheimer's — as well as people who do not have the disease — are needed in clinical trials. Many study volunteers say this is one way they can directly be part of the fight against Alzheimer's.
For more information about participating in research:
- NIH explains why it's important to participate in research and how clinical trials are overseen.
- NIH's Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center has information on participating in clinical trials and studies, as well as a listing of Alzheimer's trials you can search by geographic area.
- Alzheimer's Association has information and links to additional clinical trials that are not federally financed.
- Alzheimer's Foundation offers an overview of issues to think about when considering participating in clinical trials.
Adapted from Alzheimers.gov, a website developed by the Department of Health and Human Services and the NIH/National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Disease Education and Referral Center.
