Diabetes drug may be helpful for Parkinson's disease

Conclusion This research shows some interesting early findings, though the magnitude of effect was very small compared to the improvements in symptoms with current dopaminergic drugs. The study was well conducted but did have some limitations: The number of people taking part was quite small. This may have meant it was hard to detect any other benefits or harms of taking the drug other than the effects on motor scores. The period of time people were given the drug and followed up meant that longer-term effects could not be measured. The benefit of the drug observed so far might not be big enough to make a difference to people's day-to-day lives, but this may change with a longer or larger study. Overall, this well-designed piece of research indicates that it would be worth carrying out further studies of longer-term outcomes in bigger populations. It could well be the case that a repurposed version of exenatide, or similar GLP-1 agonist, could prove more successful. Links To The Headlines Diabetes drug could help those living with Parkinson's disease, research reveals. The Guardian, August 4 2017 First hints Parkinson's can be stopped. BBC News, August 4 2017 Type 2 diabetes drug could combat Parkinson's: Test results suggest treatment could stop the disease in its tracks. Mail Online, August 4 2017 Cheap diabetes drug exenatide helps Parkinson’s patients move. The Times, August 4 2017 (subscription required) Links To Science Athauda D, Maclagan K, Skene SS, et...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Source Type: news