An experimental drug has shown promise in treating debilitating movement problems in people with Parkinson's disease, according to an animal study.
Research carried out by the US biotech company Neurolixis analysed the effect of the drug NLX-112 on dyskinesia, a common side effect associated with Parkinson's seen in people who have been taking levodopa-based medications for several years.
It causes involuntary movements that can affect various parts of the body, making everyday tasks impossible, the researchers said.
The main medication available to manage dyskinesia is amantadine, which can have side effects, and does not work for everyone, they said.
Up to 50 per cent of all people with Parkinson's will experience dyskinesia after just five years of taking levodopa, and around 80 per cent will experience it after ten years of taking the medication, according to the team.
NLX-112 works by targeting serotonin cells inside the brain which are believed to contribute to the development of dyskinesia, by releasing dopamine in an erratic manner.
More From This Section
It aims to reduce dyskinesia by decreasing the amount of dopamine the cells release.
In the study, published in the journal Neuropharmacology, NLX-112 was tested in marmoset monkeys with Parkinson's-like symptoms.
The marmosets had developed the side effect of dyskinesia in response to levodopa treatment in a similar way to many people with Parkinson's.
The study looked at the effect of NLX-112 both on its own and in combination with levodopa, to understand how it impacted both dyskinesia and Parkinson's symptoms.
The results showed that NLX-112 successfully reduced dyskinesia and crucially, did not significantly reduce the effectiveness of levodopa, which many other similar drugs do, researchers said.
When NLX-112 was used on its own, it again improved movement problems, they said.
These promising results suggest that NLX-112 has potential as a future treatment for not only reducing dyskinesia, but also for improving the movement symptoms of Parkinson's.
"This promising research on NLX-112 offers hope that we can find a treatment that can tackle dyskinesia, which can make everyday tasks, such as eating, writing and walking, extremely difficult," said Arthur Roach, Director of Research at Parkinson's UK.
"People with Parkinson's tell us it is one of the most critical issues that impacts quality of life so we're delighted that this project is progressing so positively," Roach said.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
