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A SMALL drugs company at Godmanchester has come up with a cure for Parkinson's disease, which could also lead to a cure for Alzheimer's. Phytopharm has been working for some years on reversing the devastating effects of these two killer diseases and announced last night that it had succeeded. The drug, Cogane, works by stimulating naturally produced proteins that can regenerate neurons in the brain. It will be five years, however, before the new drug passes all the regulatory tests and becomes generally available. Dr Daryl Rees, chief executive of Phytopharm, said: "We have been working on this for a while, reversing the damage caused by these diseases. "There has only ever been one other drug that could do this, but it had to be pumped into the abdomen to reach the brain, and this was too difficult. Even so, one of the patients involved in trials three years ago in Bristol is still well." Cogane is different, not least because it can be taken by mouth. Early trials have shown the drug is safe, and further trials will be going ahead in a matter of months. News of the breakthrough was given last night at the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in Istanbul. Dr Rees said: "The work has been partly funded by The Cure Parkinson's Trust, and they are very excited." Tom Isaacs, co-founder of the trust, said: "Cogane offers a very real prospect of a better treatment for Parkinson's and the potential to completely restore motor function." Dr Rees said the same approach could cure Alzheimer's, but added that it's more complex. Parkinson's, which costs billions of pounds around the world in healthcare, affects up to 200 people per 100,000. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn