About the project
Title: BETTER-B: BETter TreatmEnts for Refractory Breathlessness An International, Multicentre, Randomised Controlled Pragmatic Trial of Mirtazapine to alleviate Breathlessness in Palliative and End of Life Care
Funder: European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
Time frame: 2019 to 2022
Contact for more details: Professor Miriam Johnson
This major multi-centre European-wide clinical trial is led by Professor Irene Higginson at King’s College, London.
Breathlessness is a common, distressing symptom in advanced disease, particularly those affecting the heart and lungs. There are few effective pharmacological treatments and early data suggest that serotonergic modulation is beneficial. Mirtazapine is a widely used noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA). BETTER-B will determine whether mirtazapine has a role in the management of chronic breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). The purpose of the study is to test whether Mirtazepine is more effective in the relief of chronic breathlessness than placebo.