Three NIHR national Patient Recruitment Centres now recruiting to Astrazeneca's heart treatment trial
Researchers at Patient Recruitment Centre (PRC): Exeter are the latest to launch recruitment for a cutting-edge trial which could save the lives of patients who have suffered heart attacks.
PRC: Exeter joins PRC: Bradford and PRC: Blackpool in opening recruitment for the global trial which is being run in the UK and Sweden in collaboration with the Uppsala Clinical Research Centre. A total of 21 sites in England have now recruited to the study and aim to recruit a combined total of 1661 participants by June 2022.
The DAPA-MI study is evaluating if dapagliflozin (a drug developed to treat diabetes) can also be effective in reducing the risk of heart failure and death following a heart attack.
Dr Andrew Ludman is leading the study at PRC: Exeter:
“I am very excited to be the local Principal Investigator for the DAPA-MI study and delighted that the NIHR PRC are helping to run it in Exeter. This international study has the potential to make a real difference to the outcome of patients following a heart attack, and recruitment has already started really well thanks to the dedicated PRC team - thank you!”
Important study
At PRC: Bradford, Consultant Cardiologist, Dr Steven Lindsay comments on the importance of the trial:
“The drug has already been used successfully to treat diabetes and in non-diabetic patients with heart failure but this new study looks into its effectiveness in the treatment of patients who suffer a heart attack. The trial will evaluate how effective dapagliflozin is in preventing those patients from then going on to develop heart failure or even dying.”
PRC: Blackpool are also pleased to be involved in the trial. Dr Galasko, Director of PRC: Blackpool and local Principal Investigator for the DAPA-MI study, says:
“PRC: Blackpool are really excited to be running this study at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. It is trialling a well-tolerated and well-established therapy for patients with diabetes now in non-diabetic patients who have been admitted to hospital with an acute heart attack. The expectation being tested is that this therapy may reduce the development of future heart failure hospitalisations in these patients and may even potentially reduce the risk of them dying from a cardiovascular cause. It is also the first study to be using data from a national registry as part of the data collection process, potentially increasing data accuracy and reducing administrative time. PRC: Blackpool are pleased to be involved in this key study including innovative trial design.”
Located at NHS hospital sites across England, the five national PRCs are funded through a £7m investment as part of the Government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy and Sector Deal 2. The centres were set-up as dedicated facilities for life sciences companies to deliver late-phase clinical research at scale and pace through the NHS.
Read more about the DAPA-MI Study on the Be Part Of Research Website.
