Ben McKeen wrote:
>My wife just brought home  a news magazine article which bears
the headline "NEW MIRACLE DRUG COULD SAVE MICHAEL J.FOX". It describes
a drug which the author calls Rilutek, says it is FDA approved for ALS
or Lou Gehrigs Disease and it shows great promise in treating PD by
stopping the progress of the disease.<

Drug slows pace of Parkinson’s

New York, Jan. 28 1999 - Recently Parkinson’s disease has been in the
news because actor Michael J. Fox revealed that he suffers from the
degenerative
brain disorder. Before that it was Attorney General Janet Reno and boxer
Muhammad Ali. Now a drug for Lou Gehrig’s disease is being tested as a
way to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.
        It started with a twitch in my right index finger, which is
going right
now,” said Parkinson’s patient Carole Peters.
        In the past 10 years, Peters’ Parkinson’s disease has progressed
rapidly. Today, she only gets about 30 minutes at a time relatively
symptom-free. The
remainder of the time, she’s either shaking, or she is completely stiff.
        “The stiffness bothers me the most because I feel like I’m stuck
in a
chair and can’t move and helpless. I get panicky,” Peters explained.
        Peter’s Parkinson’s is due to the degeneration of a specific
group of
nerve cells deep in the brain. It is not clear why these brain cells
die, but one
theory is that they are bombarded with an excess of a neurotransmitter
called glutamate.
        According to Dr. Warren Olanow of Mount Sinai Medical School,
“Normally, glutamate helps to communicate information between nerves and
other
nerves. But if you get too much glutamate, it can actually induce cell
death, what’s called excitotoxic degeneration.
        A new drug called Rilutek, already approved to treat Lou
Gehrig’s
disease, is being tested as a way to protect brain cells in Parkinson’s.
        The central neuron is damaged by too much glutamate. Rilutek
then is
introduced and the glutamate dissipates.
        Dr. Olanow said, “The hope is that if we block the glutamate
with this
drug in Parkinson’s disease, we’ll be able to interfere with that
cascade and
slow down the degeneration.”
        In other words, if an early stage Parkinson’s patient were to be
given
the drug, it might prevent them from getting to the advanced stage that
Peters
suffers, or at least significantly delay that progression.
        Dr. Olanow is leading a national study to see whether Rilutek
works.
        “We are recruiting patients with early, untreated or minimally
Parkinson’s
disease,” he said.
        This Phase III study aims to enroll people with early
Parkinson’s, ages
40 to 80, at 43 medical centers around the country.
        The Parkinson’s Foundation is encouraging patients to take part,
partly
because it is the first drug that actually interferes with the cell
death process
rather than just treating the symptoms.
        This is not a cure for Parkinson’s, but what Rilutek may do is
make it
so that instead of taking 10 years to get to a certain stage of the
disaese, it
may take 20 years or more.
MSNBC Conditions and Privacy © 1999

>Also says that NPF is recruiting PWP volunteers for testing...

Company Press Release
SOURCE:National Parkinson Foundation

Parkinson’s Disease Patients Sought for Phase III Clinical Trial - Trial
to Examine Delay of Disease Progression

MIAMI, Jan. 28, 1999 / PRNewswire/ -- A clinical trial examining the
potential to delay the progression of Parkinson’s disease is now seeking
patients for enrollment.  Parkinson’s disease patients, ages 40-80, with
recent, untreated symptoms are being sought at 43 clinical sites in the
United States. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, degenerative brain
disorder that affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans, with more than
50,000 new cases diagnosed each year.  Parkinson’s disease symptoms
worsen over time and include tremor of the arms and legs, rigidity and
stiffness of muscles, and slowness of movement known as bradykinesia.
        Research with experimental Parkinson’s disease animal models suggests
that
Rilutek (riluzole) tablets, the first drug approved for treating
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, may slow
down the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
The exact mechanism of action of Rilutek is unknown.
        ``Presently, we are only able to treat the symptoms of Parkinsons
disease,” said Dr. C. Warren Olanow, chairman of the Department of
Neurology at the Mount Sinai
School of Medicine in New York City.  ``This study will test our ability
to slow the
progression of this devastating disease.”
        ``We strongly encourage members of the Parkinson’s community to enroll
in this promising phase III clinical trial.  The information that we
hope to obtain is critical to the millions of people who either suffer
from Parkinson’s disease or who are at risk of getting it,” noted Dr.
Abraham Lieberman, national medical director of the National Parkinson
Foundation (NPF).
        Michael J. Fox, the 37-year-old actor who recently revealed his
seven-year battle with Parkinsons, is among the approximately 10 percent
of patients under the age of 40 who are stricken with the disease early
in life. Affecting one out of 100 people in the over-60 population, the
average age of onset of Parkinsons is usually 55-60.  Eighty-five
percent of patients are diagnosed after age 50.
        “As the world population ages and specifically baby boomers enter their
elderly years, Parkinson’s disease will become an even greater public
health issue in this country,” added Dr. Lieberman.
        While it has no known cause or cure, Parkinson’s disease occurs when
nerve cells producing the brain chemical dopamine die.  Eighty percent
of dopamine-producing cells die in Parkinson’s patients impairing their
ability to produce smooth controlled movements.  Such nerve cell death
often results in the stooped posture, slurred speech and slow, shuffling
walk characteristic of Parkinson’s disease.  Although the rate of the
disease’s progression varies in each individual and the disease itself
is not fatal, late stage
Parkinsons patients are often unable to walk, talk or care for
themselves.
        Patients enrolled in this phase III clinical trial will receive
treatment (riluzole or placebo) for two years.  Riluzole was approved
for ALS in the U.S. in 1995 and has since been approved in 44 other
countries.  The drug’s most common side effects in ALS patients are
asthenia (fatigue), nausea, and elevated liver enzymes.  Side effects in
patients with Parkinson’s disease are not known.
Copyright 1999 PRNewswire
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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