A team at Newcastle Hospitals has recruited the first patient in the world to a study which is evaluating a treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
COPD causes breathing difficulties and mainly affects middle-age or older adults. Current treatments include corticosteroid inhalers and changes to lifestyle.
The study will evaluate the effects of an investigational medicinal product on inflammation in the airways, specifically investigating if it can reduce mucus build-up, improve lung function, and reduce flare-ups.
It will involve a large group of patients and confirm if the investigational medicinal product is better, the same, or worse than other COPD treatments.
Patients will be randomly assigned to receive either:
- The investigational medicinal product and usual care
- A placebo drug and usual care.
The study is double-blinded, meaning neither the participants nor the healthcare team will know which group the participant is in.
Thanks to the hard work of our teams, the patient was recruited in 119 days after study set-up started, meeting national targets to reduce clinical trial set-up times to under 150 days.
Research is vital
Dr Nicholas Lane, a respiratory consultant from Newcastle Hospitals, is the trial lead. He said:
“COPD can be difficult to live with, and sometimes day-to-day tasks become challenging. As well as managing physical symptoms, we know that one in three people with the condition have poor mental health.
“Despite how common COPD is, there have been limited developments in treatments in recent years.
“Clinical research plays a vital role in finding new treatments to improve quality of life for people suffering from this debilitating condition.”
Giving back to the NHS
The patient, 76-year-old retired maintenance engineer James Hamill, from Tyne and Wear, decided to take part in the trial after the NHS saved his life. He said:
“In 2023, I had a cardiac arrest which nearly killed me, but thanks to the care I received at the RVI, I pulled through and made a full recovery.
“When Dr Lane mentioned the study to me, it felt like a way I could give back to the NHS and help other patients with COPD.
“Having lived with the condition for over ten years, I find that some days are better than others. If researchers can find treatments to make symptoms easier to live with, that would be fantastic.”
The study is run by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Commercial Research Delivery Centre (NIHR CRDC) Newcastle, based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary.
The first participant was recruited just 119 days after set-up began, meeting the government’s commitment to reducing clinical trial set-up times to under 150 days.
Dr Lane, who is also an honorary clinical senior lecturer at Newcastle University, added:
“The team is very grateful to patients like James who give up their time to participate in studies, and the NIHR CRDC team who worked hard to set up the study.”
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