Funding granted for ASCEnD study
We are very excited that the National Institute of Health Research have agreed to support the ASCEnD study. This clinical trial will run across 10 sites in England(from Devon and Cornwall in the South-West through to Newcastle in the North-East). We currently have limited treatment options for people with bipolar disorder who are depressed. Quetiapine is the most commonly used treatment currently but many people are affected by side-effects including weight gain and an increased risk of diabetes. Here we will examine whether two existing mental health drugs, aripiprazole and sertraline, when used in combination are more effective than quetiapine. The study will start to recruit participants in 2023.