A pioneering clinical trial could dramatically accelerate the discovery of new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham, whose father Roy died with the condition in September, said he was proud to back the initiative in the hope it will deliver findings far quicker than conventional testing methods.

Roy Burnham, who previously worked as a telephone engineer, was living in a care home prior to his death. His illness meant he remained unaware that his son had become Prime Minister.

The new study, titled Ad-Smart (Alzheimer’s disease Systematic Multi-arm Adaptive Randomised Trial), is spearheaded by the UK Dementia Research Institute and Alzheimer’s Research UK, with financial backing from funders including the Government.

Experts state that the trial's innovative design has the potential to more than halve the time needed to evaluate Alzheimer’s drugs.

The project will assess multiple medications concurrently, starting with atomoxetine, an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug, alongside metformin, which treats type 2 diabetes.

Scientists noted that existing evidence shows atomoxetine affects mechanisms linked to further degeneration in Alzheimer’s, while metformin also demonstrates potential across specific pathways.

Over time, additional therapies, comprising repurposed medicines for other conditions as well as novel Alzheimer’s treatments, will be introduced to the trial.

Mr Burnham said: “I know how it feels to lose a loved one to dementia and have seen first-hand the devastating impact this illness has on families.

“That’s why I’m proud to see this trial being launched in the UK, so that cutting-edge treatments can reach patients here as soon as possible.

“I have made dementia research a national priority. I want Britain to be the leading nation, making the breakthroughs that change people’s lives.”

Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia, affecting around 600,000 people in the UK.

Experts in the new trial are looking to see whether treatments help with issues such as poor memory and thinking problems, and whether they can help people maintain a good quality of life.

The first people have been recruited at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Other sites include at Imperial in London, Edinburgh and Southampton, with up to 20 NHS sites expected to open over the next 18 months to include more than 1,000 people.

The first drugs should have conclusions by 2030, with people tested via scans and blood tests at regular intervals.

Chief investigator Professor Paresh Malhotra, from the UK Dementia Research Institute, said: “For too long, Alzheimer’s research has moved at the pace of one drug, one trial, one answer, sometimes taking a decade or more before we know if we’ve found something that works.

“We are applying advances from cancer and other conditions to accelerate testing of treatments for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

“The way Ad-Smart is set up means we’re testing several treatments at the same time, and those that don’t show promise can be quickly stopped.

“Then we can start testing something else. That’s the best way to get effective treatments to patients as quickly as we can.”

Prof Malhotra told a briefing that the team “want to look at the multiple mechanisms that are involved in Alzheimer’s disease”.

He said: “We know there are different processes that drive neurodegeneration, that drive deterioration, and so if we can compare and contrast different treatments that affect different processes, then we should find an effective treatment faster.”

While the treatments lecanemab and donanemab, which have been rejected for use on the NHS, have advanced the field of drug treatments, other medicines are far cheaper and experts know already about the risk of side-effects for some of them.

Professor Siddharthan Chandran, director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, said it was a “very exciting time” in the field, with major advances in both diagnostics and treatments for Alzheimer’s, but more needs to be done.

For too long, treatments have been tested in a “grossly inefficient way” and it can take four or five years to find whether a drug works, he said.

He added: “Because of the way Smart trials are designed, biotech and pharmaceutical companies can also bring their drugs straight into the trial.

“That means more treatments tested more quickly, and for people living with Alzheimer’s, that could make all the difference.”

Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “For people living with Alzheimer’s disease, time is precious.

“We urgently need more treatment options that can help people live better for longer and stay connected to the people they love…

“We hope this new approach to clinical trials could help bring a future closer where people affected by Alzheimer’s have more treatment options — and ultimately, a cure.”

Profesor Tara Spires-Jones, professor of neurodegeneration at the University of Edinburgh and a fellow at the Academy of Medical Sciences, said: “There is extremely promising neuroscience coming through the pipeline that can be tested in this trial and beyond.

“Although only a limited number of people will be able to participate in this new trial, there are things we can all do to boost our own brain resilience and help scientists in the fight to defeat Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause dementia.

“People can lead a brain healthy lifestyle, get involved in research studies, and support research through working with dementia charities and encouraging governments to fund research.”

Elsewhere, the Government said it had hit its target to speed up clinical trials, with delivery times cut by 35%.

The average set-up time for commercial trials in the UK dropped to 100 days in the three months to March this year, down from 153 in the same period last year.

All of the 24 commercial trials during those months were set up within 150 days.