Parkinson's drug promises to slow death of brain cells

A drug now used to address the symptoms of Parkinson's disease may slow the ailment's progression, marking a potential breakthrough in treating the degenerative brain illness, researchers say.

In preliminary tests, researchers found that the drug pramipexole could protect brain cells from dying.

Parkinson's is caused when these nerve cells die.

Pramipexole, marketed under the name Myrapex by Pharmacia, is used to treat patients for muscle tremors, shaking and other symptoms.

The study was financed by Pharmacia.

"There's nothing at the moment that alters the course of Parkinson's disease," said the study's author, neurologist Dr Anthony Schapira of the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London..

All existing drugs treat only the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Since it evolved slowly, drug treatment often was postponed until the illness physically manifested itself, Dr Schapira said.

"If this drug is shown to be protective, then I think the emphasis would shift to prescribing it as early as possible in the course of the disease."

He presented the findings at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Philadelphia.

Parkinson's affectsabout one in 500 people, and usually develops after age 50.

It is caused by a progressive deterioration of the nerve cells of the brain that control muscle movement.

It is characterised by difficulty in walking, movement and coordination.

There is no known cure.

To test the effectiveness of pramipexole, Dr Schapira and his colleagues introduced a chemical known to induce Parkinson's to human cells in a laboratory dish.

Dr Schapira stressed that these were early findings, and studies needed to be done on animals and humans to determine the exact effect of the drug on actual Parkinson's patients.

The animal studies had begun.

If the results can be duplicated in humans, it could significantly alter the way doctors treat Parkinson's disease.

"If it does slow the progression, that changes the dynamics of what you're going to do," said Dr Abraham Lieberman, medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation, a non-profit group devoted to research and treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Early detection of Parkinson's would become critical - as significant as regular mammograms to the survival of women with breast cancer, Dr Lieberman said.

"I would make major efforts to diagnose early. So the implications, if carried through on humans, are major," Dr Lieberman said. "They would change the treatment of the disease."

- REUTERS