Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is set to conduct a study exploring the treatment options for depressive symptoms related to bipolar disorder. The ASCEnD study will be carried out by the Mental Health Research Delivery Team and is scheduled to end in August 2026. Currently, ongoing recruitment of participants for the study is taking place to conduct the open-labelled, randomised controlled trial.
As of now, 5 participants have been screened and recruited for the study. Volunteers must be over 18 years old, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and experiencing depressive symptoms. Shun Yan Toto To, clinical research facilitator, told Cherwell that the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is “continuously working hard with different primary and secondary care to optimise recruitment.”
The ASCEnD study aims to determine whether a combination of Aripiprazole and Sertraline “offers superior clinical and cost effectiveness compared with current standard treatment”, such as just using Quetiapine, to mitigate bipolar depression. Current treatments have their limitations, and bipolar depression still has significant morbidity and mortality.
Shun Yan Toto To, told Cherwell that if the combination of Aripiprazole and Sertraline proves to be safer and more tolerable, “it could represent an impactful shift in how it can be appropriately initiated in primary care.”
If the new treatment is successful it has the potential to reduce significant delays in the provision of secondary care input, such as psychiatrists or specialised clinics. Overall it may enhance “patient’s access to an effective and safe treatment option via their GP, and improve the quality of life of themselves and their carers”.
The Oxford NHS Foundation Trust study is a part of a larger project, the ASCEnD trial, in which 8 other NHS Trusts will be involved. The trial will consist of 270 adults with bipolar depression, who will be observed for 24 weeks with questionnaires assessing any longer-term improvement on depressive symptoms, quality of life, and costs.
