From the Research
New Medications for Parkinson's Disease
- Several new medications are being developed to treat motor symptoms, motor fluctuations, dyskinesia, and balance and gait dysfunction in Parkinson's disease 1, 2.
- These include newer levodopa formulations and drug delivery systems, refinements in adjunctive medications, and non-dopaminergic treatment strategies 1.
- Alternative formulations of levodopa, such as inhaled levodopa, are being evaluated to help with motor fluctuations and sudden OFF episodes 2.
- Non-dopaminergic drugs, such as 5-HT1A receptor agonists and adenosine A2A receptor antagonists, are also being investigated as potential treatments for Parkinson's disease 3.
- Current clinical trials are focused on developing new therapeutic approaches, including small molecules, monoclonal antibodies, plasma therapy, cell therapy, gene therapy, and herbal extracts 3.
- Recent advancements in symptomatic therapy for motor indications and achievements in the research and clinical testing of medicines that promise to enable disease modification in patients with already-manifest Parkinson's disease are being reported 4, 5.
Emerging Therapies
- Pluripotent stem cell therapies and genome engineering procedures are being explored as potential treatments for Parkinson's disease 4.
- Device and formulation technology to deliver drugs continuously is being developed to manage motor complications 5.
- Disease-modifying therapy that affects the underlying fundamental pathophysiology of the disease is also being investigated 5.