Heather has Alzheimer's and few options — a new UK trial will test many drugs at once to find answers faster

For the roughly 600,000 people in the UK with Alzheimer's, no NHS treatment yet slows the disease — and testing one drug at a time takes most of a decade. AD-SMART, a first-of-its-kind platform trial led by the UK Dementia Research Institute, will test several medicines simultaneously, starting with two already-approved drugs being repurposed: the diabetes drug metformin and the ADHD drug atomoxetine. It aims to recruit 1,200 participants across up to 20 NHS sites, and could more than halve the time to answers. Heather Ransome, 67, diagnosed in 2024, is taking part: 'Getting involved has given me some hope for the future.'

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation