Thursday, September 5, 2024

Older Ozempic-like drug shows promise in slowing Parkinson's disease

A new clinical trial is giving hope to those recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s, showing that a GLP-1 receptor drug may slow the progression of symptoms that affect fine motor skills by having a protective response on the nervous system. The drug, lixisenatide, has been on the market for years and as it continues to be studied, there could be promise with other GLP-1 receptors like semaglutide, the ingredient in the popular drug Ozempic. 

The lixisenatide study included those with early-stage Parkinson’s disease and found that those given the type 2 diabetes drug showed no deterioration of motor skills after 12 months. The link between Parkinson’s and diabetes can be attributed to several factors, including insulin resistance and glucose dysregulation and mitochondria dysfunction. Click here to learn more. 

Huntington’s disease clinical trials enrolling in US

Clinical trials testing either tominersen, an experimental therapy designed to target the underlying cause of Huntington’s disease, or dalzanemdor, an oral candidate that aims to improve cognitive abilities, are currently enrolling Huntington’s patients in the U.S. 

Roche’s tominersen, administered into the spinal canal to reach the brain, is an RNA-based medication that’s designed to reduce levels of both normal and mutated forms of the huntingtin protein. Sage Therapeutics’ dalzanemdor is an oral therapy that aims to help ease one of Huntington’s most troublesome symptoms: cognitive impairment. Click here to learn more.

Man hails new Parkinson's drug as 'life-altering'

A man who has been living with Parkinson's disease for 20 years has described a new drug treatment as “life-altering.” Rick Telford, 70, previously had to take about 20 tablets a day to manage his symptoms. In May, he became the first person in Tyne and Wear to be treated with Produodopa, which involves wearing a portable kit and using a pump to release medicine into the bloodstream 24 hours a day.

“My voice is much stronger, my body is able to move more and I smile more,” he told BBC Radio. The treatment is controlled by a small pump strapped to a patient's gut and steadily releases medicine into the bloodstream through a cannula under the skin. Click here to learn more. 

Scar tissue in the heart linked with genetic disease severity in FA

Widespread scar tissue in the lower left chamber of the heart — the left ventricle — correlated with genetic disease severity in people with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), an imaging study found. The fibrotic changes noted were independent of other disease-related structural changes to the left ventricle, data showed.

To learn more about how FA affects the heart, a team led by Australian researchers conducted imaging studies focusing on the left ventricle (LV), the side of the heart that pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body. Structural changes in the LV frequently have been noted in FA patients. Click here for more information.

Migraines unlikely to increase the risk of Parkinson’s for women

A new medication that can stave off the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease for longer than current drugs has just hit the market. And a researcher and professor from the USF Health Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center played a critical role in the drug obtaining its approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Robert A. Hauser, who teaches in the Department of Neurology at the University of South Florida, designed and served as principal investigator on a clinical trial to prove the drug’s effectiveness and safety. The new drug could reduce or eliminate so-called “off time”, the period when medication wears off and symptoms return but it’s too soon to take the next dose, said Hauser. Click here to learn more. 

Registration now open for the 2024 Rocky Mountain HDSA Family Education Day, October 19

Register today for the 2024 Rocky Mountain Huntington's Disease Family Education Day, Saturday, October 19, at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. Doors open at 8:30 am and admission is free. Hear presentations on research from the Rocky Mountain and University of Colorado Movement Disorders Centers, as well as talks on family planning with HD, genetic research and more. Click here for program information and to register online.