Press Articles
Scotland will lead trial on arthritis treatments
December 17, 2007
Scotland's place as a leader in the delivery of major clinical trials was reinforced yesterday following the launch of a £25million study into arthritis.
The Scot Trial (Standard Care versus Celecoxib Outcome Trial) will compare different types of treatment for arthritis - a condition which affects about 9million people in the UK. Scotland has been chosen to lead the project as a result of its unique patient electronic registration and tracking systems.
The study will be led by Dundee University in collaboration with the universities of Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Nottingham. Researchers will compare traditional, non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs, NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen and diclofenac, with a newer drug, Celecoxib.
Both types of treatments are prescribed for arthritis, but doctors want to establish how the newer one, Celecoxib, compares with the older drug in patients with arthritis in terms of long-term safety.
Professor Tom MacDonald, lead investigator and professor of clinical pharmacology at Dundee University, said: "This trial is of international significance because it will compare the various treatments prescribed for arthritis sufferers in usual care."
The study has already attracted more than £25million of investment to Scotland.
Professor David Reid, of Aberdeen University, added: "This trial coming to Scotland demonstrates how universities and the NHS can work in partnership to answer some of the big questions in the treatment of arthritis."
The three-year study will involve 16,000 patients throughout Scotland.
Source: Aberdeen Press and Journal