Datamonitor: Higher profile yet to lead to better treatment for
Parkinson's

LONDON, Nov. 4, 2004- The respective plights of celebrities like
former heavyweight boxer and civil rights activist Muhammad Ali and
actor Michael J Fox have helped bring the devastating and
debilitating effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD) more into the public
consciousness. However despite the increased publicity and funding
these two prominent sufferers have brought to Parkinson’s research, a
recent report by independent market analyst Datamonitor* reveals that
there is still a major need for drugs that can even effectively delay
the disease’s progression for the 1.3 million Parkinson’s sufferers
globally**.

Need for better drugs

Currently marketed therapies work primarily to treat the symptoms of
Parkinson’s, Datamonitor central nervous system analyst Emma Travis
says. “Drugs that can effectively delay, halt or ideally reverse the
progression of Parkinson’s are the major unmet need in this area.
Unfortunately those drugs that are currently on the market do not
fill this void.”

“On the bright side, several compounds in development have been shown
to demonstrate potentially neuroprotective properties. Unfortunately
huge challenges remain for these compounds to reach the market and
provide convincing clinical evidence of their effectiveness.”

The most effective therapy currently available for Parkinson’s is
levodopa, which undeniably remains the cornerstone of Parkinson’s
treatment, if not the gold standard, Travis says. “Nevertheless, the
effectiveness of levodopa tends to diminish over time, and patients
often begin to experience a re-emergence of symptoms like
uncontrollable trembling before their next dose.”

“Sixty to 80% of PD patients on levodopa experience response
fluctuations after two to five years of therapy.”

Newer therapies have helped to address this problem somewhat, but
rather than representing an alternative improved treatment to that
offered by levodopa therapy, the newer treatments have generally only
been considered add-on therapies, Travis says. “The aim of these
newer treatments is to prolong the clinical effectiveness of the
levodopa therapy. This has meant that the PD market has seen only
moderate growth as newer therapies were only utilized in the latter
stages of the disease, which in turn discourages further investment
in the market by pharmaceutical companies.”

Aging population means more patients

However this may change because the aging population is increasing
the number of potential Parkinson’s patients, Travis says. “PD is
primarily a disease of elderly individuals with a peak age at onset
of 55 to 66, with an estimated prevalence rate of 100-200/100,000
population. However global demographic changes mean that the
incidence of PD is set to increase as the number of elderly worldwide
rises along with life expectancy.”

Furthermore, the American Parkinson’s Disease Association has
reported that there is an alarming increase in patients of a younger
age, Travis says. “This is an impression echoed by the majority of
opinion leaders interviewed by Datamonitor. However, they believe
this may not be a real increase but rather the outcome of
improvements in diagnosis and referral pattern.”

“Nevertheless, the absolute number of patients being treated is
forecast to grow, meaning the PD market will become more attractive
to investors.”

Diagnosis is not always easy with Parkinson’s, Travis says. “In some
patients it is made easier by the presentation of the classic signs
of Parkinson’s: trembling at rest, slowed movements and stiffness on
only one side of the body. Making an accurate diagnosis in the early
stages of the disease is a key to slowing its progress, however doing
so can be difficult even for an experienced neurologist.”

No major improvements

The research and development pipeline for Parkinson’s contains over
50 compounds. Unfortunately few of the products predicted to reach
the market in the next in 10 years appear to offer major clinical
benefits over currently marketed therapies. Neuroprotection is
arguably the most exciting treatment approach to treating Parkinson’s
disease according to opinion leaders interviewed by Datamonitor,
Travis says. “Any drug demonstrating the ability to slow, halt or
even reverse disease progression is likely to become the new gold
standard and PD market leader. However despite a plethora of pipeline
compounds claiming neuroprotective properties, to date, not one has
come to fruition.”

Or as one opinion leader interviewed by Datamonitor says:
“Neuroprotection is a pretty big nut to crack. There have been a lot
of concerns over how do you get regulatory approval for a compound
that has got neuroprotection but not symptomatic benefit. So far it
looks like a pretty daunting task.”

While high profile sufferers like Ali and Fox may bring more
attention to the plight of Parkinson’s patients, in reality the
manifestation of truly neuroprotective drugs is still at least 10
years away, Travis says. “In the meantime, early diagnosis and
treatment really remain the key to treating Parkinson’s patients.”

Ends

Notes for editors *Commercial Insight: Parkinson’s Disease Increased
Focus on Earlier Treatment and Managing Levodopa Complications Will
Drive Market Growth **Globally is defined as the 7 major
pharmaceutical markets: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, UK, and
USA.

To arrange an interview or for further details regarding the report
contact Matthew Dick in the Datamonitor Press Officer on + 44 20 7675
7824, or email [log in to unmask]

For US, please call on +1 212 652 5387 For Asia-Pacific, please call
Denis Mason on +61 2 9006 1526.

SOURCE: PharmaLive.com (press release), United States
http://tinyurl.com/3kpkm

* * *Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]>
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Web site: Parkinsons Resources on the WWWeb
http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters

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