May 20, 2013

expert reaction to new research on using a type 2 diabetes drug to treat Parkinson’s disease

Research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation investigated the use of a drug approved for diabetes care, Exenatide, in patients with Parkinson’s. Patients receiving Exenatide displayed improved cognitive ability and motor skills.

Claire Bale, Research Communications Manager at Parkinson’s UK, said:

“This new research is a huge step forward in the on-going fight to find a drug which can slow down, or even halt, the progression of Parkinson’s.

“In this new study, researchers have shown that Exenatide – a drug commonly used to treat diabetes, may have real promise in helping to slow down Parkinson’s in some people, helping them to remain more mobile for longer.

“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.

“We look forward to seeing the results of a much larger trial to fully examine the usefulness of Exenatide for people with Parkinson’s.”

Professor Roger Barker, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Honorary Consultant Neurologist, University of Cambridge, said:

“This new study, whilst producing encouraging data suggesting that this drug may slow down disease progression in Parkinson’s disease (PD), is perhaps more noteworthy for the approach it has taken with respect to the clinical trial design. There is currently a great debate about how to take drugs licensed for one indication and use them in unrelated neurological conditions as possible disease modifying agents. In the past such studies have often been large, complex and expensive and this new study presents an alternative approach that may herald a new era of such trials. In particular this study by Foltynie et al used: no placebo arm (because of the expense of making devices to deliver placebo injections); blinded raters that scored videos on the patients; and a wash out period to exclude any symptomatic effect. All of this was done in a modest number of patients and the results compared with a matched control arm that received best medical therapy. Using this approach they found a signal of effect that suggested that the drug may well be slowing down the disease process. All of which is good news not only for patients with PD but for us all, as we seek to explore how drugs already out there could be repositioned for use in these chronic neurodegenerative disorders of the CNS.”

‘Exenatide and the treatment of patients with Parkinson’s disease’ by Iciar Aviles-Olmos et al. published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation on Monday 20th May.