Attitudes on Alzheimer's research

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Nine in ten people would enter a family member with Alzheimer's disease into a clinical trial, even though that person cannot give consent.
There is an urgent need for new treatments for Alzheimer's disease and these must first be proved by clinical trials. But the ethical problem is that the individual concerned cannot usually give consent themselves.

Researchers at the Universities of Michigan and Rochester looked at a group of 227 participants and asked if they would enrol a family member into a clinical trial for Alzheimer's disease. Ninety per cent said they would, if the trial of a new drug posed only mild to medium risk. A smaller number, but still a majority, voted for riskier treatments such as gene transfer, brain tissue sampling and vaccines.

These finding should help guide policy makers, for at present the situation is confused. The conditions under which clinical trial consent is taken differs between states and there is a need for a national standard.

Source
University of Michigan Health System 7th November 2005

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