During a clinical trial, it is found that the progression of Parkinson’s disease can be prevented
As per result of a clinical trial, a drug that is used in case of type 2 diabetes may possibly prevent the growth of Parkinson’s disease. Current medicine can heal the symptoms but is not able to stop brain cells dying.
62 patients have already undergone this trial which indicated that the drug stopped the growth of disease successfully. It is released in the Lancet.
The team at the University College London is very excited, but they are warning that it needs further research to know whether this medicine can provide long-term benefit.
Professor Tom Foltynie who is also participating in the research told the BBC
"There's absolutely no doubt the most important unmet need in Parkinson's is a drug to slow down disease progression, it's unarguable."
In case of Parkinson’s, more and more parts of the brain get injured and the production of the dopamine hormone gets stopped due to the cells missing that help in producing it.
The patients suffering Parkinson’s disease experience a tremble, difficulty in moving and memory problems.
There are some therapies that are able to improve the level of dopamine which helps in controlling symptoms, but they can’t prevent the death of the brain cells and the disease reaches to worst condition.
During the First trial
During the trial, half of patients were told to take the diabetes medicine exenatide while the rest were kept on placebo treatment.
According to expectation, the patients who were kept on usual medication declined after 48 weeks of treatment. On the other hand those taking exenatide were secure.
Three months after the medical trial halted, those who got treated with exenatide were still stable.
Prof Foltynie told the BBC News website:
"This is the first clinical trial in actual patients with Parkinson's where there has been anything like this size of effect.”
"It gives us confidence exenatide is not just masking symptoms, it's doing something to the underlying disease.
"We have to be excited and encouraged, but also cautious as we need to replicate these findings."
Need further experiment
Scientists also need to conduct further experiment to assure that the medicine can provide benefit for long time.
Large difference can be seen when the medicine can effectively stop the disease for years.
The progress of Parkinson’s happens slowly and the difference was found within 60 week experiment, but it was insignificant.
The medicine acts on GLP-1 known as a hormone sensor which helps manage the level of blood sugar in case of diabetes.
The brain cells have the same hormone sensors. It is believed that with the help of this medicine those cells can survive and act efficiently.
That is why under this trial the drug is also used to treat several other neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s.
The deputy director of research at Parkinson’s UK, David Dexter, said:
"The findings offer hope that drugs like exenatide can slow the course of Parkinson's - something no current treatment can do.
"Because Parkinson's can progress quite gradually, this study was probably too small and short to tell us whether exenatide can halt the progression of the condition, but it's certainly encouraging and warrants further investigation."
Dr. Brian Fiske who is doing research on Parkinson’s disease at The Michael J Fox Foundation said:
"The results from the exenatide studies justify continued testing, but clinicians and patients are urged not to add exenatide to their regimens until more is known about their safety and impact on Parkinson's."
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