The first two drugs in the UK’s AD-SMART Alzheimer’s trial are metformin, a type 2 diabetes medicine, and atomoxetine, a medicine for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The trial launched in October 2026 and is led by the UK Dementia Research Institute and Alzheimer’s Research UK, with UK government funding. It plans to recruit about 1,200 people with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s at more than 30 UK sites. Sites in Cambridgeshire, Surrey, London, Southampton and Edinburgh are already open. An international panel of experts chose both drugs because they may reduce brain inflammation, which drives neurodegeneration. AD-SMART is a multi-arm, multi-stage platform trial. Several treatments are compared against one shared placebo group, drugs that show no benefit can be dropped quickly, and new ones can be added. To succeed, a drug must improve thinking and the ability to carry out everyday activities. Researchers expect to finish evaluating the first drugs in 2030. People with a confirmed Alzheimer’s diagnosis can register interest on the AD-SMART website.
Image: Metformin 500 mg tablets, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.