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Botox Cousin Curbs Parkinson's Drooling Fri January 23, 2004 06:51 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Botulinum toxin B, a close relative of the anti-wrinkle drug Botox, appears to safely improve the drooling experienced by some patients with Parkinson's disease, new research indicates. Recent reports have suggested that Botox, also known as botulinum toxin A, is an effective treatment for sialorrhea (i.e., drooling) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Although there is evidence that toxin B has a "particular predilection" for the saliva glands, its use for sialorrhea has not been well studied. To investigate, Dr. William G. Ondo and colleagues, from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, assessed the outcomes of 16 PD patients with drooling who received injections of toxin B or inactive "placebo" into their saliva glands. Symptom questionnaires and special x-rays were used to evaluate drooling before and one month after the injections were given. The researchers' study, which is reported in the medical journal Neurology, was funded by Elan Pharmaceuticals, which markets botulinum toxin B under the trade name Myobloc. Treatment with toxin B produced significantly greater improvements in all drooling scores than did placebo. Tests also suggested a greater reduction in saliva secretion with toxin B, but the difference was not statistically significant. Treatment with toxin B did not worsen overall PD disease score or swallowing, in particular, the investigators note. Side effects possibly related to the toxin were mild and included dry mouth, worsened walking, diarrhea and neck pain. The findings suggest that botulinum toxin B is a safe and effective treatment for PD-related drooling, the authors state. Further studies are needed to determine if it is also useful against the drooling seen with other neurologic diseases, they add. SOURCE: Neurology, January 13, 2004 / Reuters, United States http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4198660 * * * ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn