Category Archives: Parkinson’s Treatment

By C. Rajan, contributing writer Israeli CNS focused biotech company, NeuroDerm, has just announced positive topline results from the Phase 2 study of its low-dose liquid levodopa/carbidopa combination (ND0612L) in patients with moderate to severe Parkinsons disease. The results showed that continuous, subcutaneous dosing of the drug combination resulted in significant reduction in fluctuations of plasma levodopa concentrations in patients compared to placebo. Patients receiving ND0612L also experienced significant improvement in disease symptoms without an increase in the dyskinesia side effect. The company presented these results at The Michael J. Fox Foundations 2014 Parkinsons Disease Therapeutics Conference in New York this week, along with partial results from its other Phase 2 study of the high-dose form of this drug combination, ND0612H. The Phase 2 study of ND0612H, which began in September, showed that the high-dose form helped maintain consistent levels of plasma levodopa in patients, alone and with oral entacapone, making it an effective day and night treatment option for severe cases of Parkinsons. The company expects to have the final results from this study by the end of this year. The high-dose form is being developed for advanced Parkinsons disease patients, as it has the potential to prevent or … Continue reading →

War hero Ben Parkinson wasstunned when a flight attendant told him 'It's not my problem' after revealing there was no disabled toilet access on a four hour flight. Paratrooper Ben - who was severely injured during the Afghanistan conflict - was travelling with a group of other injured servicemen on the Thomas Cook flight. Ben, who lost both his legs and broke his back, hips and ribs and suffered severe head injuries in a land mine blast in 2006, was travelling with the military charity Pilgrim Bandit. Shockingly Rude: Ben Parkinson needed help to use the toilet on a flight but was met with dismissal by Thomas Cook staff The charity says that as Ben, 30, boarded a Thomas Cook flight from Paphos in Cyprus with five fellow members, they asked for use of an aisle chair - a specially designed wheelchair capable of moving down the narrow aisles of the aircraft. But they were told there were no aisle chairs available on the flight and as a result none of the injured servicemen was able to access the plane's toilet during the four and a half hour journey. Ben, who is an ambassador for Pilgrim Bandits, revealed that a … Continue reading →

Intel is helping researchers use wearable devices, the Internet of Things and big data technologies to analyze patient data. For the past year, Intel and Parkinson's disease researchers have been conducting trials of a revolutionary new method for measuring the progress of the neurodegenerative brain disease in patients using wearables, the Internet of Things (IoT) and big data analytics. Just a few weeks ago, the project moved out of specific clinical trials, and researchers have begun outfitting patients with devices to begin gathering data. "We started with a few trials of about 50 patients each, just to make sure the technology was working and the analytics were tuned. We've now expanded that to a much broader base," says Ron Kasabian, vice president and general manager of Big Data Solutions at Intel. "The researchers don't even know what normal looks like. What we're trying to do is to help them and us get lots and lots of data to understand what does normal look like." [ More: Big Data Analytics Use Cases in Healthcare, Part 1 and Part 2 ] He notes that by the end of next year, the project hopes to have 10,000 patients opt in for monitoring. There … Continue reading →

Intec Pharma Ltd. (TASE: INTP) reported today that it had received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for carrying out a Phase III trial of its Accordion Pill Levodopa for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. The Accordion Pill is a gastro-retentive drug delivery system. Intec says that it will conduct discussions with the FDA on the protocol for the trial. The company estimates that the trial, whether carried out independently or in collaboration with a leading pharmaceuticals company, will take place in the second half of 2015. Intec chairman Zvi Joseph said, "We are very proud and happy that the FDA has given us approval for entering into a Phase III trial for the Accordion Pill Levodopa that Intec Pharma has developed. The clinical effect obtained to date, together with the high safety profile demonstrated in all the trials, indicate the potential of Accordion Pill Levodopa to become a leading treatment for Parkinson's." Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - http://www.globes-online.com - on October 28, 2014 Continued here: FDA gives Phase III nod for Intec Parkinson's treatment … Continue reading →

HOW MICRODOSE THERAPYTMWORKS When inflammation strikes (left image), your body allows short-term inflammation to prevent infections. Afterwards, your body produces extra cortisol to arrest the inflammation and return things to normal (upper right image). When your body cant produce the extra cortisol anymore, inflammation grows into chronic inflammation ofParkinsonsdisease(lower right image). Then pain, stiffness, fatigue, brain fog, difficult body movements, tremors and uncontrolled body movements of inflammation diseases threaten. Microdose TherapyTMteaches you to take 100% natural, bio-identical cortisol tablets to replace the missing cortisol to return things to normal (complete inflammation control illustrated in upper right image), that is, to do what the body wants to do but can no longer do. Since you are only replacing the missing cortisol, no significant side effects were expected nor observed (1,920-patient study). Hench and Kendall (Mayo Clinic) with Reichstein (Switzerland) received the Nobel Prize for discovering cortisol perfectly controls inflammation, but failed to find a safe way for its lifetime use without causing cortisol side effects. We discovered the safe way for lifetime cortisol use with no significant side effects. Over years, Microdose TherapyTMcost is lowest because cortisol costs little. However, you have to be educated how to use cortisol up front, … Continue reading →

Although the disease cannot be cured, early diagnosis can assist with the management of symptoms. Some degree of cognitive impairment affects most people with Parkinsons disease. The same brain changes that lead to motor symptoms can also result in slowness in memory and thinking. Research has also found that many people who have Parkinson's go on to develop a mild form of dementia. Lynn Rochester, professor of human movement science at Newcastle University and lead author of the paper, said: "The relationship between gait and cognition has never been established this early on and in such a large group of Parkinson's before. "In the future walking patterns may be a useful early warning system to help identify dementia risk in Parkinson's. "Subtle changes in someone's walking pattern, for example slowing down of steps, and increased sway from side to side are related to cognitive function even before changes are seen in cognitive tests. "Ongoing work will confirm if it is possible to predict future cognitive decline and dementia risk. However this early work shows great promise. "If we can use this and test people who may at risk, then we could pick up the early signs and begin treatment and … Continue reading →

THE way someone walks is linked to dementia in Parkinson's disease, North-East researchers have found. It has been known for several years that there is a link between gait disturbance and dementia in older adults, but until now the relationship in Parkinson's was unclear. The Newcastle University findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience, could mean the way someone walks can be used as an early warning sign to predict the development of cognitive impairment and dementia in Parkinsons. Their research indicate subtle changes in walking patterns some undetectable to the eye - could be an early warning sign of cognitive decline and could be a guide to alert medical practitioners that treatment is needed. Although there is no cure, early treatment can help manage symptoms. More than 120 sufferers were tested, making this the biggest study to date in early Parkinsons disease and they were compared to over 180 older adults. Volunteers were asked to walk for two minutes in the lab and their stride pattern was then analysed. Factors such as the length of stride, and sideways sway were looked at in a specially designed gait laboratory at the Clinical Ageing Research Unit, a clinical research … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 15-Oct-2014 Contact: Amy Pullan a.l.pullan@sheffield.ac.uk 01-142-229-859 University of Sheffield @sheffielduni Researchers from the University of Sheffield have found vital new evidence on how to target and reverse the effects caused by one of the most common genetic causes of Parkinson's. Mutations in a gene called LRRK2 carry a well-established risk for Parkinson's disease, however the basis for this link is unclear. The team, led by Parkinson's UK funded researchers Dr Kurt De Vos from the Department of Neuroscience and Dr Alex Whitworth from the Department of Biomedical Sciences, found that certain drugs could fully restore movement problems observed in fruit flies carrying the LRRK2 Roc-COR Parkinson's mutation. These drugs, deacetylase inhibitors, target the transport system and reverse the defects caused by the faulty LRRK2 within nerve cells. The study is published today (15 October 2014) month in Nature Communications. Dr De Vos, a Lecturer in Translational Neuroscience at the world-leading Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), said: "Our study provides compelling evidence that there is a direct link between defective transport within nerve cells and movement problems caused by the LRRK2 Parkinson's mutation in flies." Co-investigator Dr Alex Whitworth explained: "We could also show that these neuronal … Continue reading →

A machine that sends magnetic pulses into a patient's brain has become the new frontier of depression treatment, promising to ease symptoms for those who have found little relief from medication or talk therapy. The treatment, known as transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, is part of a wave of technologies that attempt to jolt the brain back to health. It caught on quickly after the Food and Drug Administration approved its use six years ago, and more than 25 Chicago-area hospitals and psychiatrists now use the devices. Though some have questioned the technology's effectiveness, more insurance companies are starting to cover it, helping with a price tag that can reach $10,000 for six weeks of treatment. "What this does is raises (your mood) up to normal," said a 55-year-old woman from the western suburbs after finishing a treatment session at Linden Oaks at Edward in Naperville. "You can operate." Stimulative brain therapies have been around for decades, with the best known being electroconvulsive therapy, a technique that uses an electric current to cause a seizure. It was portrayed as a mind-erasing menace in the movie "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," though psychiatrists say the procedure is safe today. Other … Continue reading →

Parkinson's disease can't be cured, but medications can help control your symptoms, often dramatically. In some later cases, surgery may be advised. Your doctor may also recommend lifestyle changes, especially ongoing aerobic exercise. In some cases, physical therapy that focuses on balance and stretching also is important. Medications can help you manage problems with walking, movement and tremor by increasing your brain's supply of dopamine. However, dopamine can't be given directly, as it can't enter your brain. You may have significant improvement of your symptoms after beginning Parkinson's disease treatment. Over time, however, the benefits of drugs frequently diminish or become less consistent, although symptoms usually can continue to be fairly well controlled. Your doctor may prescribe medications, which may include: Carbidopa-levodopa. Levodopa, the most effective Parkinson's disease medication, is a natural chemical that passes into your brain and is converted to dopamine. Levodopa is combined with carbidopa (Parcopa, Sinemet), which protects levodopa from premature conversion to dopamine outside your brain, which prevents or lessens side effects such as nausea. In Europe, levodopa is combined with a similar substance, benserazide (Madopar). Side effects may include nausea or lightheadedness (orthostatic hypotension). After years, as your disease progresses, the benefit from levodopa … Continue reading →