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On Sun, 22 Apr 2007 11:27:49 -0700 "rayilynlee" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Parkinson's Drugs Undergoing Tests
>Science Daily - After Parkinson's disease patients use the drug levodopa or
>L-dopa for several years as a treatment for restoring the cellular
>communication that controls muscle movement by replacing lost dopamine,
they
>begin to experience motor complications that include a shortened response
to
>each dose of L-dopa.
>
>"As time goes on and the disease progresses, the off periods, that is, time
>during which the medicine is not working at its best, come more frequently
>as on periods, or times during which patients experience their best
response
>to the drug, last for shorter periods of time," explained Jay S. Schneider,
>PhD, who heads the Parkinson's Disease Research Unit at Thomas Jefferson
>University Hospital.
>Parkinson's disease gradually destroys brain cells that produce dopamine.
As
>dopamine levels drop, symptoms increase: tremors in the arms, legs and
face;
>periodically stiff or frozen limbs; slow movement, particularly a shuffling
>gait; and impaired balance and coordination.
>Dr. Schneider, Professor of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology and
>Neurology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and
>movement disorder specialists Tsao-Wei Liang, M.D., Assistant Professor of
>Neurology, Jefferson, and Daniel Erik Kremens, M.D., J.D., Assistant
>Professor of Neurology, Jefferson, are spearheading a new clinical trial to
>test a new anti-Parkinson's drug in an attempt to decrease such off-time
>experiences and extend L-dopa's effectiveness.
>The study will evaluate whether a drug, E2007, can significantly lengthen
>the time that a patient's L-dopa medication is effective, reducing both the
>amount of off time during the day, as well as other unwanted side effects
of
>L-dopa treatment. E2007 is non-dopaminergic drug that acts on a subclass of
>receptors called the AMPA receptors, which mediate fast synaptic
>transmission in the central nervous system.
>Standard treatments for Parkinson's disease focus on restoring the cellular
>communication that controls muscle movement by replacing lost dopamine with
>L-dopa. While this therapy works well for a while, it can't stop the
>disease's inevitable march - and the patient's decline. While one current
>strategy is to focus on neuroprotective agents to modify disease
>progression, another is to use so-called "adjuncts" that can have modest
>effects on patients' off-times, when L-dopa can be ineffective for brief
>periods.
>"The hope is that by altering dopamine transmission through the modulating
>the activity of AMPA receptors, there will be measurable effects on the
>dopamine system," said Dr. Liang.
>The study is designed for patients with more advanced Parkinson's who have
>been taking L-dopa for some time and are now experiencing fluctuations in
>its effectiveness.
>Individuals must have at least two hours of off time a day. Groups of
>patients will receive either one of two dosages of the drug or a placebo.
>The trial is also aimed at evaluating E2007's safety, as well as how
>patients tolerate it. The study will involve approximately 700 patients at
>about 150 centers across the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South
>America. Jefferson hopes to recruit at least 12 patients.
>"It's an interesting approach and an exciting trial because it is exploring
>a drug in a new therapeutic category," said Dr. Kremens."L-dopa is still
the
>gold standard and we haven't come up with a better dopamine agonist as
yet."
>Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Thomas
>Jefferson University.
>
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