Diabetes drug lixisenatide could slow down progression of Parkinson’s disease, a development that’s considered a significance step in the disease’s management.
In what could be termed as a significant step towards management of Parkinson’s Diabetes, a new study done by French researchers has found out that diabetes drug lixisenatide can slow down progression of symptoms of the degenerative brain condition.
The study published in The New England Journal of Medicine picked 156 people for the investigation with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease symptoms and those who were on Parkinson’s drugs. While half of this group were given the said GLP-1 drug for a year, the other half received a placebo. After a year, those who did not receive the diabetes drug showed deterioration in their symptoms by three points on the severity scale of the degenerative disease, while the other group showed no progression in symptoms. However, researchers also noted side effects of lixisenatide. Around 46% of the people who received this drug experienced nausea, while around 13% had symptoms of vomiting. (Also read | Parkinson’s disease may be detectable 20-30 years sooner than clinical diagnosis: Study)
Studies have shown connection between diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. People who have both the disorders, register rapid deterioration in symptoms compared to those who just suffer from Parkinson’s. A progressive neurodegenerative disorder, Parkinson’s affect central nervous system and the telltale signs include tremor in one hand, slow movements, stiffness in body parts and issues with balance and coordination. In the more advanced stages, legs can stiffen to the point which can make walking and maintaining balance while standing impossible, necessitating the use of wheelchairs.
“We’re all cautious. There’s a long history of trying different things in Parkinson’s that ultimately didn’t work,” he says. A difference of three points in the rating score is a small change — one that many people with Parkinson’s would struggle to notice, he says. “What happens at 5 years? Is it 15 points then, or is it still 3? If it’s still 3, then this is not worth it,” David Standaert, a neurologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who was not involved in the trial, was quoted by Nature as saying.
