New pill is ‘better’ for Parkinson’s

A NEW drug for Parkinson’s disease may work better than existing treatments, according to new research published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

The current main drug treatment for the condition is a form of dopamine (a brain chemical), but potential side-effects include impulsive behaviour and it becomes ineffective over time.

in tests on animals, the new drug, D-512, was compared against ropinirole (a dopamine treatment) and was found to be both better at reducing symptoms and was effective for longer. a previous study found that D-512 may halt the progression of the disease. The drug is now due to undergo further tests before it can be tried on humans.