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Was anyone on this list in the clinical trial? On Tue, Jun 3, 2008 at 4:45 PM, [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Drug May Cut Tremors Associated With Parkinson'sBut relief not on way, > since FDA has said evidence of drug's effectiveness lacking. > MONDAY, June 2 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug may help people with > Parkinson's disease combat the tics, spasms and tremors they experience when > their main medications wear off, a new study suggests. > Istradfeylline works by helping nerve and brain signals bypass the damaged > dopamine system in the brain that leads to Parkinson's. A study of 395 > Parkinson's patients on levodopa, a popular Parkinson's drug, found those > using istradefylline experienced 24 percent less "off" time, defined as when > the physical symptoms appear after levodopa wears off. A group of those > studied who took a placebo showed a 10 percent decrease in "off" time. > "These results suggest that istradefylline is effective as an add-on > therapy to other drugs that treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease. More > importantly, this medication seems to improve 'off' time in a population in > which more than 90 percent of patients are already being treated with two or > more drugs," study author Dr. Mark Stacy, of Duke University Medical Center > in Durham, N.C., said in a prepared statement. > The findings, published in the June 3 issue of Neurology, may not mean > relief is coming soon for Parkinson's sufferers, at least in the United > States. In March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration refused to approve > the drug, calling evidence of its effectiveness insufficient. The drug's > manufacturer, Kyowa Pharmaceuticals Inc., has suspended development of > istradefylline in North America. > The study was supported by Kyowa Pharmaceutical. > Istradefylline is a novel drug approach to Parkinson's. The disease is > usually treated with medications that work on dopamine, but their > effectiveness wears off after time. Istradefylline appears to connect with > receptors other than dopamine to open communication with the brain. > "Istradefylline and other agents in the same class that work in a different > area of the brain are an important step forward when treating patients who > experience this wearing off phenomenon and side effects related to > dopaminergic drugs," Stacy said. > http://healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?Docid=615943 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto: > [log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn