Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

The study, published in The Lancet and funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research (MJFF), found that people with Parkinsons who injected themselves each week with exenatide for one year performed better in movement (motor) tests than those who injected a placebo. Also read: more news stories from the Michael J. Fox Foundation This is a very promising finding, as the drug holds potential to affect the course of the disease itself, and not merely the symptoms, said the studys senior author, Professor Tom Foltynie (UCL Institute of Neurology). With existing treatments, we can relieve most of the symptoms for some years, but the disease continues to worsen. The researchers followed 60 people with Parkinsons disease at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) as they used either a once-weekly injection of exenatide for 48 weeks, or a placebo, in addition to their regular medications. They found that people who used exenatide had better motor function at 48 weeks when they came off the treatment, which persisted after the 12-week follow-up. Those who had injected the placebo showed a decline in their motor scores at both the 48- and 60-week tests. The advantage of 4 points, … Continue reading →

Q: Im caring for my father who has dementia and came across the Duke Family Support Program. Can they help me in Winston-Salem? Answer: The Duke Family Support Program (DFSP) has been answering questions about dementia and caregiving since 1980. The program offers telephone and email consultation, and educational services to North Carolina families, friends and professionals caring for any adult with declines in memory and thinking. Though based in Durham, the programs social workers can connect Winston-Salem area families to services and support in and around Forsyth County. DFSP also provides access to Project C.A.R.E. (Caregiver Alternatives to Running on Empty), a respite and consultation service for families caring for relatives with dementia in the home. Additionally, twice per year the DFSP publishes The Caregiver newsletter, along with a monthly e-newsletter that provides timely events and tips for caregivers. The program also offers (free of charge by phone, email or mail) to all N.C. residents: Caring for someone with a memory disorder can be physically, emotionally and financially exhausting. Educating yourself about the disease and available services can change your perspective. For more information or to connect with the Duke Family Support Program, call 919-660-7510 or go to http://www.dukefamilysupport.org. … Continue reading →

By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter FRIDAY, Aug. 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The diabetes drug exenatide (Byetta) may do double duty as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, a new study suggests. "This is a very promising finding, as the drug holds potential to affect the course of the disease itself, and not merely the symptoms," said senior study author Tom Foltynie, from University College London's Institute of Neurology. "With existing treatments, we can relieve most of the symptoms [of Parkinson's] for some years, but the disease continues to worsen," he said in a university news release. "This is the strongest evidence we have so far that a drug could do more than provide symptom relief for Parkinson's disease." Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, the researchers noted. The condition results in muscle stiffness, slowed movement, tremors, sleep disturbance and chronic fatigue. In the study, 60 people with Parkinson's received either a weekly injection of exenatide or an inactive placebo for 48 weeks, along with their regular medications. At the end of that period, those who took the diabetes drug scored four points higher on a 132-point scale of agility, speech and tremors than those who took the … Continue reading →

Welcome to your weekly digest of approaching regulatory and clinical readouts. Adamas Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ADMS) could not be blamed for being confident of the approval prospects of ADS-5102, its therapy for levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease; the FDA is due to decide by August 24. Meanwhile, Versartis (NASDAQ:VSAR) hopes to be first to market with a long-acting recombinant human growth hormone. Phase III data in children, due next month, will provide an indication of whether it can achieve this aim. Lifting the LID If it is approved by the FDA this month, Adamas' ADS-5102 will become the first medicine for treating levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease. The glutamate antagonist has posted decent results in three late-stage trials, and the FDA has not requested an advisory panel - probably a positive sign. Last September the extended-release formulation of amantadine hit the primary endpoint of its second phase III trial, Ease Lid 3, showing a significant reduction on the unified dyskinesia rating scale versus placebo. After 12 weeks of treatment patients taking ADS-5102 had their UDysRS score reduced by 46% versus 16% for placebo. ADS-5102 increased on-time without troublesome dyskinesia by a placebo-adjusted 1.9 hours per day, and off-time was decreased by 1.1 … Continue reading →

A new drug known as D-512 is being developed at New York's Binghamton University to treat Parkinson's disease. It promises to limit the progression of Parkinson's disease while also relieving symptoms more effectively than drugs currently available. About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's every year, and thousands more remain undiagnosed. It's considered a disease of aging, since the onset of symptoms occurs around the age of 60 and the risk rises with advancing age. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease include tremors, difficulty standing and moving, involuntary movements, and loss of balance. Currently, symptoms are commonly managed using selective dopamine receptor agonists, but they lose effectiveness as the disease progresses and do nothing to slow progression of the disease. In an animal study, researchers compared the effects of D-512 to the dopamine agonist ropinirole. They found that D-512 was more effective than ropinirole in treating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease while also prolonging the time window in which the animals showed benefits. Prior research demonstrated that D-512 may also protect against the progression of Parkinson's disease. "A major issue for Parkinson's disease patients is the need to take multiple medications, multiple times per day," said researcher David Lindenbach. "So, we were … Continue reading →

Photo: Erin Kayata / Hearst Connecticut Media Marlane Argianas of the American Parkinson Disease Association, from left, with Ilene Sumberg and Beth Blake at Atria Darien on July 24. Marlane Argianas of the American Parkinson Disease Association, from left, with Ilene Sumberg and Beth Blake at Atria Darien on July 24. Atria Darien offers Parkinsons support group DARIEN When Elizabeth Harmon was first diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 2012, she immediately joined a local support group. Through the group, the former St. Augustine, Fla., resident had once-a-week exercise sessions with trainers from the University of St. Augustine, as well as support from other community members with the same disease. Thats where I became involved, she said. It was a great group of people with a great leader. I was very much into it. When Harmon moved to Atria Darien last July, she found the senior living center lacked the same sort of support group. So she went to Ilene Sumberg, the centers resident relations director, and Beth Blake, the engage life director, to change that. Parkinsons disease affects the central nervous system, often affecting a patients movement. Symptoms of Parkinsons include tremors, muscle stiffness and slow movement. It can also … Continue reading →

Scientists in California say they have transformed understanding of Parkinsons disease. Their animal experiments, published in the journal Cell, suggest the brain disorder may be caused by bacteria living in the gut. The findings could eventually lead to new ways of treating the disease, such as drugs to kill gut bugs or probiotics. Experts said the results opened an exciting new avenue of study. In Parkinsons disease the brain is progressively damaged, leading to patients experiencing a tremor and difficulty moving. Researchers used mice genetically programmed to develop Parkinsons as they produced very high levels of the protein alpha-synuclein, which is associated with damage in the brains of Parkinsons patients. But only those animals with bacteria in their stomachs developed symptoms. Sterile mice remained healthy. Further tests showed transplanting bacteria from Parkinsons patients to mice led to more symptoms than bacteria taken from healthy people. Dr Timothy Sampson, one of the researchers at the California Institute of Technology, said: This was the eureka moment, the mice were genetically identical, the only difference was the presence or absence of gut microbiota. Now we were quite confident that gut bacteria regulate, and are even required for, the symptoms of Parkinsons disease. The … Continue reading →

July 28, 2017 The Cyclobenzaprine HCI Tablets may potentially be mislabeled as Amantadine HCl Capsules Apace Packaging announced a voluntary recall of one lot of Cyclobenzaprine HCl Tablets 5mg and one lot of Amantadine HCl Capsules 100mg due to a potential labeling error. A small number of cartons containing Cyclobenzaprine HCl Tablets 5mg may potentially be mislabeled as Amantadine HCl Capsules 100mg. The unit dose blisters in the cartons, however, are correctly labeled as Cyclobenzaprine HCl Tablets 5mg. The recall affects Cyclobenzaprine HCl 5mg, 50-count unit dose (Lot #16710) and Amantadine HCl 100mg, 50-count unit dose (Lot #16710). Accidental dosing with Cyclobenzaprine HCl may potentially lead to life-threatening serotonin syndrome when the drug is taken in combination with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), tramadol, bupropion, meperidine, verapamil, or MAO inhibitors. In addition, unintentional dosing may lead to additive effects of alcohol, barbiturates, and other CNS depressants thus impairing mental and/or physical abilities needed for hazardous tasks (eg, operating machinery, driving). Amantadine HCl carries a warning about abrupt cessation of treatment. There have been reports of parkinsonian crisis in some Parkinson's disease patients who have missed doseswhen the drug was abruptly discontinued. Cyclobenzaprine … Continue reading →

News Release Wednesday, July 26, 2017 NIH-funded research could aid drug development for the condition. Scientists at the University of Florida have discovered a new method of observing the brain changes caused by Parkinsons disease, which destroys neurons important for movement. The development suggests that fluid changes in a specific brain area could provide a way to track that damage. The study, published in the journal Brain, was supported by the NIHs National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). By finding a new way to detect and track how Parkinsons affects the brain, this study provides an important tool for assessing whether a drug might slow or stop those changes and keep symptoms from getting worse, said NINDS Program Director Daofen Chen, Ph.D. The researchers, led by David Vaillancourt, Ph.D., a professor of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL, used a form of MRI that differentiates between water contained in brain cells and free water outside of cells. Their analysis focused on the substantia nigra, a brain structure where Parkinsons disease kills neurons that use the chemical dopamine to communicate with other cells. The results showed that the amount of free water in … Continue reading →

Emily Stroud, WBIR 5:30 PM. EDT July 12, 2017 folded hands Medicine, therapy and exercise are ways to combat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and so are emotional and social support. That's the purpose of a new West Knoxville Parkinson's support group. Exercise is part of it, including muscle stretches and reaches. It's movement to combat a movement disorder that gets progressively worse. "It's proven. The newest research really shows us to do a moving program every day. Minimum 30 minutes. It is really one of the best weapons. And it is not only for Parkinson's. It is for everybody," Isabell Senft-Daniel said. Senft-Daniel started a group in Maryville she calls PJ Parkinson's Support Group of Blount County. She got a lot of requests for another one in West Knoxville. Tuesday was the first get together at Wellpark at Shannondale on Middlebrook Pike. The group is for people with Parkinson's, their care partners and volunteers. "One of the big symptoms of Parkinson's is depression and anxiety and these are things nobody really talks about. We like to get folks out of the house to get together with other people and share their experience. It works very well in Maryville therefore … Continue reading →