Welcome to the April Edition of #TALK.Research

Tēnā koutou

Welcome to this addition of Talk Research. Access to modern technologies is one of the many benefits for researchers and participants alike as a result of their involvement in clinical trials.

Gaining experience with new investigational products, including gene editing techniques such as CRISPR, ensures that the New Zealand health system and its clinical staff keep abreast of cutting edge therapeutics from around the world.

This is also true in the metabolic disease space where the novel GLP1. GIP and Glucagon agonists will make such a difference to patients suffering from metabolic diseases and their sequalae. Our spotlight this edition is such disorders and the new wave of potential agents making difference to patients globally. Potential access to such novel products will be available through clinical trials years in advance of when they will be funded by PHARMAC, giving the investigators years of experience with such compounds before they are released more broadly.

Aotearoa Clinical Trials is also very proud to be the first research site network in Australia or New Zealand to be accredited by the International Accrediting Organisation for Clinical Research (IAOCR). This means we have met the international standards to be recognised as a research site of clinical excellence.

We look forward to this journey with our partners and sponsors and the exciting patient outcomes of clinical trials and novel technology.

Ka kite anō

Dr Edward Watson

CEO

What’s In This Issue:

• Combating Obesity with Dual Agonists

• Aotearoa Clinical Trials Update

• Recent Publications by CMH Investigators

• Trials Starting at ACTT and Trial Statistics

Combating Obesity with Dual Agonists

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease characterised by excessive fat accumulation due to disrupted physiological mechanisms. It significantly raises the risk of various health issues, including type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and stroke, musculoskeletal disorders such as osteoarthritis, Alzheimer's, depression, and certain cancers (including breast, prostate, and colon). Beyond health impacts, obesity can also lead to diminished quality of life, workplace inequalities, decreased productivity, and social challenges. Notably, conditions like osteoarthritis, often caused by obesity, are leading reasons for disability and early retirement. Recognising its severity, organisations like the World Obesity Federation and the American and Canadian Medical Associations classify obesity as a chronic disease in its own right, advocating that weight management can significantly improve these outcomes.

Dual Agonists, a Game Changer in Obesity

ACTT’s Clinical Trial Coordinator, Juliet Tinone, with Dr John Baker, will investigate the use of survodutide in patients with obesity and cardiovascular disease as well as obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in a phase 3 study.

Survodutide, acting as a dual agonist of GLP-1R (glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor) and GCCR (glucagon receptors), is expected to lower body weight and enhance glycaemic regulation by stimulating this pathway. It supports weight reduction by suppressing appetite and promoting a feeling of fullness, achieved through the delaying of gastric emptying.

ACTT News Highlights

ACTT In Action

Recent Publications

Collaborative, S. (2023). Protocol for a national audit of the watch-and-wait approach in patients with rectal cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand: The ACCORD study. Colorectal Dis. https://doi.org/10.1111/codi.16822

Hou, J., Gane, E., Balabanska, R., Zhang, W., Zhang, J., Lim, T. H., ... & Yuen, M.-F. (2024). Efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of capsid assembly modulator linvencorvir plus standard of care in chronic hepatitis B patients. Clinical and Molecular Hepatology, 30(2), 191-205. https://doi.org/10.3350/cmh.2023.0422

Investigators, R.-C., Hills, T. E., Lorenzi, E., Berry, L. R., Shyamsundar, M., Al-Beidh, F., Annane, D., Arabi,Y., Aryal, D., Au, C., Beane, A., Bhimani, Z., Bonten, M., Bradbury, C. A., Brunkhorst, F. M., Burrell, A., Buxton, M., Calfee, C. S., Cecconi, M., . . .McAuley, D. F. (2023). Simvastatin in Critically Ill Patients with Covid-19. N Engl J Med, 389(25), 2341-2354.
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2309995

Lau, E. P.M., Ing, M., Vekaria, S., Tan, A. L., Charlesworth, C., Fysh, E., Shrestha, R., Yap, E. L. C., Smith, N. A., Kwan, B. C. H., Saghaie, T., Roy, B., Goddard, J., Muruganandan,S., Badiei, A., Nguyen, P., Hamid, M. F. A., George, V., Fitzgerald, D., . . .Lee, Y. C. G. (2024). Australasian Malignant PLeural Effusion (AMPLE)-4 trial: study protocol for a multi-centre randomised trial of topical antibiotics prophylaxis for infections of indwelling pleural catheters. Trials, 25(1), 249. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08065-1

Lim, S. L., Wellard, C., Moore, E., Harrison, S. J., Hang, Q., Ho, J., Rajagopal, R. ,& Spencer, A. (2023). Real-world outcomes in relapsed refractory multiple myeloma patients exposed to three or more prior treatments: an analysis from the ANZ myeloma and related diseases registry. Intern Med J. https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.16277

Maria Patricia, H. M., Susan, M., Balasubramanian, V., Thomas, H., Joshua, D., Robert, M., Grace, M., Mark, J., James, T., Steven, T., & Jason, R. (2024). TMPRSS2 inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of nafamostat and camostat mesylate randomised clinical trials. Clin Microbiol Infect. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2024.01.029

McQuilten, Z. K., Venkatesh, B., Jha, V., Roberts, J., Morpeth, S. C., Totterdell, J. A., McPhee, G. M., Abraham, J., Bam, N., Bandara, M., Bangi, A.K., Barina, L. A., Basnet, B. K., Bhally, H., Bhusal, K. R., Bogati, U., Bowen, A. C., Burke, A. J., Christopher, D. J., . . . Tong, S. Y. C. (2023).Anticoagulation Strategies in Non-Critically Ill Patients with Covid-19. NEJM Evid, 2(2), EVIDoa2200293. https://doi.org/10.1056/EVIDoa2200293

Morpeth, S. C., Venkatesh, B., Totterdell, J. A., McPhee, G. M., Mahar, R. K., Jones, M., Bandara, M., Barina, L. A., Basnet, B.K., Bowen, A. C., Burke, A. J., Cochrane, B., Denholm, J. T., Dhungana, A., Dore, G. J., Dotel, R., Duffy, E., Dummer, J., Foo, H., . . . Tong, S. Y. C.(2023). A Randomized Trial of Nafamostat for Covid-19. NEJM Evid, 2(11),EVIDoa2300132. https://doi.org/10.1056/EVIDoa2300132

Priday, A., Clemons, J., Krishnan, T., Gillard-Tito, S.,Fielder, A., & McAra-Couper, J. (2023). Women’s knowledge, attitudes and access to vaccines in pregnancy: A South Auckland study. New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, (2023), 14-16.https://www.midwife.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Jnl-59-2023-article-2.pdf

Interested in Applying for Funding?

A range of grant funding opportunities are available for research projects. If you are interested in applying or not sure which grant is right for you, please email the Grants Team.

Trials starting at ACTT

List of upcoming trials that are planned to start recruitment in the next three months:

To learn more about the trials we are undertaking at Middlemore Hospital and Whangārei Hospital, please visit our website to see what trials and what disease areas we are currently working on.
 

Together through research we can improve the lives of many of the patients in Counties Manukau and Te Tai Tokerau.

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