Diabetes drug slows Parkinson’s progression, finds clinical study
A drug used to treat diabetes slowed the progression of motor issues associated with Parkinson’s disease, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said on Wednesday.
Parkinson’s is a devastating nervous system disorder affecting 10 million people worldwide, with no current cure. Symptoms include rhythmic shaking known as tremors, slowed movement, impaired speech and problems balancing, which get worse over time.
Researchers have been interested in exploring a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists — which mimic a gut hormone and are commonly used to treat diabetes and obesity — for their potential to protect neurons.
So far, however, evidence of clinical benefits in patients has been limited and early studies have proved inconclusive. The new paper recruited 156 earlystage Parkinson’s patients across France, randomly assigning them to receive either lixisenatide or a placebo.
After one year of follow up, the group on the treatment, which is given as an injection, saw no worsening of their movement symptoms, while those on the placebo did.
The effect was “modest” according to the paper, and was noticeable only when assessed by professionals “who made them do tasks; walking, standing up, moving their hands, etc” senior author Olivier Rascol, a neurologist at Toulouse University, said.
But, he added, this may just be because Parkinson’s disease worsens slowly, and with another year of follow up, the differences might become much starker.
“This is the first time that we have clear results, which demonstrate that we had an impact on the progression of the symptoms of the disease and that we explain it by a neuroprotective effect,” said Rascol.
However, gastrointestinal side effects were common on the drug and included nausea, vomiting and reflux, while a handful of patients experienced weight loss.
Therefore, both Rasol and co-author Wassilios Meissner, a neurologist at Bordeaux University Hospital, stressed more study would be required to confirm safety and efficacy before the treatment is given to patients.