New constipation treatment under study for Parkinson's patients

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Mar-2014

Contact: Toni Baker tbaker@gru.edu 706-721-4421 Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University

Augusta, Ga. Georgia Regents Medical Center is among about a dozen centers nationally exploring the potential of a new drug that may offer relief to people with Parkinsons who have failed standard approaches to treating constipation.

Constipation in Parkinsons is very prevalent, said Dr. John C. Morgan, neurologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University and Director of the National Parkinsons Foundation Center of Excellence at Georgia Regents Medical Center.

In fact, its one of a handful of related problems, like an impaired sense of smell, that can actually precede a Parkinsons diagnosis by years then remain a factor as more classic symptoms, such as tremors and stiffness, progress, Morgan said. Additionally, constipation can be a side effect of the myriad of medications patients may take for Parkinsons.

The new study is sponsored by Rhythm, a Boston-based biotech company exploring RM-131s potential in a variety of gastrointestinal problems. The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinsons Research provided Rhythm major funding for the trial of the drug for constipation in Parkinsons.

Study participants will give themselves a daily injection of an agonist for ghrelin, called RM-131. Ghrelin is a peptide hormone that naturally stimulates gut motility independent of dopamine, a chemical messenger in the brain and gut damaged in Parkinsons, said Morgan. In the gastrointestinal tract, ghrelin also is believed to enhance cell proliferation, inhibit cell death and suppress inflammation.

The Augusta-based center is enrolling about a half-dozen patients in the two-week study offered through the Parkinsons Study Group that will compare the efficacy of this drug that activates ghrelin to placebo.

Early studies of RM-131 in healthy individuals have shown it is safe and well-tolerated for up to 14 days and that it improves the rate of stomach emptying and bowel function, both important in avoiding constipation.

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New constipation treatment under study for Parkinson's patients