Lithium Trial
ALS Canada is supporting a national clinical trial, which is aimed to confirm the effectiveness of lithium in slowing the progression of ALS in patients in the early stages of the disease. Patients may be included if they are within three years of symptom onset and not already taking lithium.The lithium clinical trial is the first joint effort by ALS clinicians in Canada who have recently formed a consortium — the Canadian ALS Clinical Trials and Research Network (CALS) — under the leadership of Dr. Lorne Zinman, medical director of the ALS Clinic at the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. The clinical trial, funded by ALS Canada, at nearly $1,000,000, is our largest research investment to date. We were able to make this investment thanks to the generous support of the Temerty Family Foundation, which has made a lead gift of $250,000, the largest solicited gift that ALS Canada has received in its 32-year history.
CALS will be joined in the clinical trial by the Northeastern ALS Consortium (NEALS), which includes internationally renowned ALS expert neurologists from Harvard University, Columbia University and a number of other prestigious university-based ALS Centres. In addition to funding by ALS Canada, the clinical trial commencing this month in Canada and the United States is being funded by The American ALS Association and the National Institutes of Health.
In Canada, the trial will be conducted at 15 ALS clinics. It is expected to be completed after two years. The trial will be a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with up to 250 patients — 125 of whom will be in Canada. The disease course and safety assessments will be measured at regular intervals over that time.
The objective of this trial is to confirm data from a small Italian clinical study that demonstrated significant positive effect in slowing the progression of ALS in patients in the early stages of the disease, through the use of lithium.
Lithium has numerous neurological effects and is a Health Canada approved drug most commonly used as a mood-stabilizing drug in treating bipolar disorder. It is a potentially toxic drug and must be taken under doctor’s supervision with frequent monitoring of blood levels. Lithium was found to protect neurons in the brain and spinal cord in animal models of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Below is a list of Canadian clinics that are enrolling people with ALS, or for more information, please contact your local ALS clinic.
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