Hundreds of Alzheimer's patients will be given ADHD and diabetes drugs in a UK trial that could halve testing times

Researchers are recruiting 1,200 people over four years — a figure that dwarfs the roughly 200 enrolled across all UK Alzheimer's trials in 2025-26. In the AD-SMART study, patients will be randomly assigned atomoxetine, metformin or a placebo. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose father Roy died with the disease last month aged 86, supports the trial and has described dementia research as a national priority.

Imperial's Professor Paresh Malhotra warns promising treatments are not being tested quickly enough.

Roy Burnham worked as a telephone engineer before his retirement and died without ever knowing his son had gone on to become Prime Minister.