Study based in Madrid, Spain offers new found promise
Alice Falcigia had died at the age of 54 after living with Huntington’s disease for fourteen years. Her son Scott was ten when his mother was diagnosed and remembers his childhood and adulthood years watching his mother slowly decline.
Huntington’s disease is genetic and progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It is defined by the slow development of involuntary muscle movements which affect the feet, face, hands, trunk and progressive deterioration of cognitive process and memory.
There is no cure for this disease and very limited treatments are available. Now, there just may be new hope offered for those suffering this disease through the drug pridopidine, which has demonstrated in this new study to be effective and well tolerated in patients to control involuntary movements.
According to Dr. Justo Gareiade de Yebenes, Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Fundación para Investigaciones Neurológicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, PET Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, London and lead author of study, remarked the drug did demonstrate modest improvement of an array of motor deficits without major side effects in patients with Huntington’s disease. Noting that for the moment these findings add to the symptomatic treatment of an array of motor deficits in patients with this disease.
This drug which is under examination appears to bring a little hope for a treatment of the disease. This drug balances dopamine in the central nervous system, especially in the areas of the brain which control coordination and movement. The drug Tetrabenazine is the only other drug which is available in the treatment of involuntary movements. This is the first time a drug is available which has improved patients voluntary ability to move muscles.
Dr. Karl Kieburtz, MD, MPH, Professor of Neurology, Community & Preventive Medicine, Environmental Medicine and the Director of the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, stated in an email to ABC News that his general impression is the findings were modest in volume but the tolerability and drugs safety was excellent, so the drug does hold promise. He further noted the studies concluded to current date are apt to require confirmation before regulators will approve. Dr. Kieburtz conveyed that this drug as an addition to treatment would be welcomed by physicians, patients and families.
This phase three trail had examined the safety and effectiveness of the drug among 437 patients with Huntington’s disease in eight different countries. The studies participants had been randomly assigned to either take the drug or placebo for more than a period of six months. The study found that the drug did improve eye and hand movements and balance in comparison to a placebo.
Neurosearch, the manufacturer of the drug has plans to do a confirmation study with the same dosage and an exploratory study using a higher dose next year.
Dr. de Yebenes noted it would be of great interest to examine this drug and related compounds in several of these disorders.
Director of marketing and communications with the Huntington’s disease Society of America remarked that HD research benefits the patients and families of the disease but also has an important force across all neurodegenerative conditions.
Physicians in Detroit for the treatment of Huntington’s disease:
2799 West Grand Boulevard
Detroit
313-916-2835
For a complete listing of physicians that treat HD check online at Lifescript.
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