BETTER-B Feasibility paper published in Thorax

In January 2020, the BETTER-B Feasibility main trial paper was published as a Brief Communication in Thorax. The BETTER-B Feasibility team were delighted to report that the trial successfully achieved its primary endpoint of recruiting over 60 (64 in total) patients in 3 sites over 1 year. 

The BETTER-B Feasibility trial took place from 2015 to 2017, forming the foundation for the current international BETTER-B study.

Funded by Marie Curie, the Feasibility trial set out to test whether it would be possible to recruit patients with COPD, ILD, cancer or chronic heart failure as well as a high breathlessness score on an internationally recognised breathlessness scale (modified Medical Research Council breathlessness score of 3 or 4). If successfully recruited, patients were randomised to receive either mirtazapine or a placebo. Interviews with some of the participants were also conducted, helping the research team understand the experiences and motivations of patients. 

Please click on the image below to access the full paper: