Eligible patients across the Northern Rivers are being enlisted to take part in one of the nation’s largest clinical trials investigating a novel Chinese herbal extract Sailuotong (SLT).
Conducted by NICM Health Research Institute (NICM), the Phase III clinical trial is also taking place in Melbourne and Brisbane, with further sites planned for Adelaide and Perth.
The site expansion coincides with positive results from an independent clinical trial of SLT published in the recent journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
The Chinese study included 325 participants and suggests SLT as an effective treatment for vascular dementia, improving cognition and daily functioning in Chinese patients with mild-to-moderate vascular dementia.
The results reported improved functioning in memory, orientation, language and executive function after 26 weeks of SLT treatment.
These promising results are highly significant, as current available treatment options for vascular dementia are very limited. If the present Australian clinical trial is successful, SLT will be an effective frontline treatment for thousands of people across the world with vascular dementia.
Southern Cross University is coordinating the Lismore trial which will be conducted at the University and St Vincent’s Hospital.
“This is a great project and Southern Cross University is very excited to be participating,” said Professor Stephen Myers, Principal Investigator based at Southern Cross University’s NatMed-Research Unit.
“It is tackling one of the significant problems in modern healthcare using herbal medicines that has been standardised and quality assured to pharmaceutical specifications.”
There are more than 400,000 Australians living with dementia and vascular dementia is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. Without a medical breakthrough, the number of Australians living with dementia is expected to double over the next two decades.
Anyone interested in participating in the Lismore clinical trial is asked to contact Shelley Robinson, Vascular Dementia Clinical Trial coordinator at Southern Cross University. Phone 0419 098 018 or email [email protected].