Drug hope for Parkinson's patients

A drug commonly used to treat people with diabetes could help slow down or even stop Parkinson's disease, research has suggested.

Claire Bale of Parkinson's UK hailed the findings on the use of the diabetes drug Exenatide on a group of patients with Parkinson's disease as a "huge step forward in the on-going fight" against disorder.

It comes as the scientific world tries to find ways to combat the degenerative neurological disorder which leads to progressive loss of motor control.

The new findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, found that Exenatide was "well tolerated" and there were "clinically relevant improvements in Parkinson's disease across motor and cognitive measures".

A team of researchers from London's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, divided the patients into two groups. This included one group of 20 patients who received Exenatide injections for 12 months, while the other 24 patients acted as a control group.

It was noted: "After one year of treatment patients receiving Exenatide displayed improved cognitive ability and motor skills, while control patients declined.

"Though this trial cannot rule out a placebo effect, the study suggests that Exenatide may improve motor function in PD (Parkinson's disease) patients and provides a strong rationale for conducting a larger, blinded study to determine the effectiveness of Exenatide in PD."

Ms Bale noted this new study suggests that Exenatide may have "real promise" in helping to slow down Parkinson's in some people and helping them to remain more mobile for longer. More analysis is needed to judge whether it is a true breakthrough for people with Parkinson's, she suggested.

She said: "People with diabetes are also at a slightly increased risk of developing Parkinson's and although it isn't yet clear why; some diabetes drugs may also have potential for treating Parkinson's - such is the case with Exenatide.

"Despite these encouraging results, it is simply too soon to tell whether this drug is a blind alley or a breakthrough for people with Parkinson's. The research was conducted in a very small number of people and, crucially, without a placebo group - making it difficult to draw too many firm conclusions at this stage."

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Drug hope for Parkinson's patients