University College Cork has received a research grant of £10 million to take part in the largest health project ever in Europe to prevent stroke, heart attack and memory loss in the elderly.
The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, inaugurated the project in Cork last night. He said it was the largest single health research project ever carried out in Ireland. The successful performance of the study would not only enhance the status of Irish medicine internationally but would also provide Ireland with an infrastructure to conduct further projects of this design and magnitude in other therapeutic areas.
"This will have significant benefits for those directly involved and ultimately lead to important benefits for us all," he said.
Prof Michael Murphy, head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, said the study would be undertaken over the next five years by UCC in conjunction with the Royal Infirmary and University of Glasgow in Scotland and the University of Leiden in the Netherlands at a total cost of more than £30 million.
It is the first ever undertaken to examine the benefits of pravastatin, a widely prescribed medication to prevent cardiovascular disease in patients aged 70 or over. The study will assess the effect of the drug on reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke and preventing dementia in elderly people.
"This is a very important study because cardiovascular diseases are by far the most frequent causes of death and disability among the elderly, a group that is not routinely treated.
"Pravastatin has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke in patients under 70 years of age. We are hopeful that this study will provide conclusive evidence in respect of the management of elderly patients at risk of heart attack and stroke. We are especially interested to evaluate its impact on cognitive function problems, including vascular dementia," Prof Murphy said.
The study will enrol 5,500 patients between the ages of 70 and 82 from Ireland, the UK and the Netherlands. To be eligible patients will have suffered either a heart attack or stroke, or will be considered to be at risk because they are receiving treatment for hypertension or diabetes or they currently smoke.
"These diseases have the most serious impact on the quality of life of elderly patients and represent a significant burden for family members who care for their parents and to health-care systems. We hope to establish the value and cost-effectiveness of pravastatin as a treatment option for elderly patients," he said.
Forty researchers will be employed full-time in Ireland for the study, and a centre for administration and research analysis will be opened in Cork next month.