(Hannah Devlin/ The Guardian) — Women will be given a potential new treatment for endometriosis in a groundbreaking clinical trial that doctors hope will pave the way for the first new class of drug for the condition in 40 years.
The trial will involve 100 women in Edinburgh and London and will assess whether the drug, dichloroacetate, helps relieve pain. If successful, it would be the first non-hormonal, non-surgical treatment for endometriosis, which affects roughly one in 10 women of reproductive age.
“We know women with endometriosis desperately want more treatment options and better ways to manage the often-debilitating pain that it causes,” said Dr Lucy Whitaker, a clinical lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology at the University of Edinburgh, who is leading the research. “Our research so far shows promising results that dichloroacetate can make a huge difference. I hope our new trial will confirm this and give women hope that new treatments and a better quality of life are on the horizon.” (…)