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Diabetes drug can also help people with Parkinson's
Researchers have now discovered that a drug to treat diabetes can also help people with Parkinson's disease. The examined drug helps those affected better control their problems with their movements.
Researchers at University College London found in their study that a drug called exenatide is able to reduce movement problems in people with Alzheimer's disease. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "The Lancet".
People with Parkinson's disease may benefit from a type 2 diabetes drug in the future. Physicians found that exenatide can reduce movement problems in people with Parkinson's. (Image: Astrid Gast - fotolia) Can exenatide slow down the progression of Parkinson's??
In the UK alone, probably around 162,000 people will be living with Parkinson's disease by 2020. There have been medications that control the symptoms of the disease, but there are no available remedies to slow or stop the disease completely, the authors say. However, scientists have now discovered that a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes leads to an improvement in movement problems. This positive effect persisted even if the drug was not taken for a period of twelve weeks. This suggested that exenatide may slow the progression of Parkinson's.
Results could lead to a novel treatment for Parkinson's
If the results of the study can be replicated in a multicenter study, this may lead to a novel treatment for Parkinson's, explains author Thomas Foltynie, professor of neurology at University College London. Recent studies indicate that problems with insulin signaling in the brain may be associated with neurodegenerative diseases, say the experts. Because of this, there has been hope among medical professionals that diabetes medications can also be used to treat Parkinson's disease.
Physicians examine 60 subjects with Parkinson's disease
The latest research, however, is the first clinical study of the drug, which examined whether exenatide can also be used to treat Parkinson's disease by randomly assigning 60 people with Parkinson's to one of two different treatment groups. Subjects were given either an exenatide injection once a week or a placebo, the researchers explain.
Subjects were examined before and after taking the medication
At the beginning of the study, and later every twelve weeks, the motion ability participants in both groups were assessed by a scale, the researchers explain. It was all about tremors, stiffness of the limbs and the ability to keep the balance. The evaluation was performed at the beginning of the day, even before the participants had taken their usual medication. The assessment was repeated later, when those affected had already taken their medication, the authors say.
Taking exenatide resulted in improved results
Without medication, the rating of people with Parkinson's in this test deteriorates by three points each year on a rating scale totaling 132 points. After 48 weeks, tests showed that treatment with exenatide in humans led to an improvement of one point, say the doctors. When the subjects took a placebo, the score dropped three points during that period, the researchers add.
Twelve weeks later, exenatide patients showed better results by 3.5 points
In a 12-week evaluation of the patients, the team found that people receiving exenatide 3.5 points outperformed those on placebo-taking subjects. The study suggests that exenatide not only helps to control the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but also slows the progression of the disease, the authors explain. If the use of the drug should be a cumulative benefit, ie if the results of the test deteriorate by six points in patients taking placebo after two years and the levels of the exenatide group remain stable, then exenatide will actually halt the progression of the disease. as)