The Metformin Aneurisym Trial (MAT) (Old ID 26382)
Role
Chief Investigator
Description
20 million people worldwide and 100,000 Australians have an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). The main complication of AAA, aortic rupture, leads to 200,000 deaths/year worldwide. AAA prevalence and mortality rates in Australasia are 4-fold higher than the world average, so research to improve management is a key priorty. Most AAAs are detected when theya re small, when an effective treatment would prevent the need for surgery. There is currently no effective drug therapy for AA, and 70% of small AAAs grow to a size requiring surgical repair which carries inherent risks of death and major complications. A large amount of observational data from patients and laboratory models suggest that metformin may be an effective drug therapy for AAA. The metformin aneurysm trial (MAT) will be a large-scale, multi-centre randomised trail done as a collaboration between investigators in Australia, New Zealand, Swden and the United Kingdom across 55 sites over a 5 year trial period. Patients with AAA measuring between 39 and 49mmm in diameter will be enrolled over 24 months, assiged at random to 1500mn of metformin extended release (XR) or placebo each day followed for a mean of 3.5 years. The primary outcome will be AAA rupture or repair. The sample size of 1,954 will provide 90% pwer (p=0.05) to detect a 25% or greater reduction in the relative risk of the primary outcome. A positive finding from MAT would identify metformin as the first effective medical treatment for AAA. Since metformin is low cost, safe and available worldwide, the trial will have direct clinical implications for tens of millions of people around the world for whom no preventative therapy is currently available.
Date
01 Jan 2020 - 31 Jan 2025
Project Type
GRANT
Keywords
Clinical Trial;Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm;Metformin
Funding Body
National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
Amount
4997653
Project Team
Joseph Moxon