Patricia Inácio, PhD, science writer —

The cerebrospinal fluid, which surrounds the brain and spinal cord, of people with moderately severe Parkinson’s disease shows evidence that damage to blood vessels meant to protect the brain may be a key driver of disease progression, a study based on findings in a Phase 2 trial reported. This…

Supernus Pharmaceuticals’ portfolio of Parkinson’s disease therapies now includes Gocovri (amantadine) and Osmolex ER (amantadine hydrochloride), with the company’s acquisition of Adamas Pharmaceuticals now complete. “Adamas fits squarely within our corporate development strategy, adding a late-stage commercial product with significant revenue,” Jack Khattar, president and CEO of Supernus…

Cala Health has raised $77 million that will support further innovations of the company’s expertise — bioelectronic medicine — to explore conditions beyond essential tremor, including Parkinson’s disease and other neurological conditions. The funding also will help expand patient access to the company’s devices, which includes Cala Trio, a…

Two scientists at Yale University were awarded $2 million from the Michael J. Fox Foundation to conduct the first clinical trial investigating the use of ketamine — a powerful anesthetic — as a treatment for depression in people with Parkinson’s disease. The study will be led by Sophie…

An oral candidate therapy for Parkinson’s disease called GT-02287 lowered the levels of alpha-synuclein accumulation and inflammation, and lessened behavioral deficits in animal models of the disease. “We are working diligently to advance this breakthrough compound to the clinic and bring it one step closer to meeting the currently unaddressed needs…

Fascinate Therapeutics plans to launch a Phase 2 clinical trial into the safety and early efficacy of KM-819 as a potential therapy for Parkinson’s disease. This follows the approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of Fascinate’s request for such a trial, in the form of an investigational new…

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) has issued a new group of guidelines designed to aid clinicians in prescribing the most effective and appropriate dopaminergic medications — those that increase or mimic dopamine — to patients in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. The new guidelines, endorsed by…

A committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a negative opinion for Nouryant (istradefylline) — approved as Nourianz in the U.S. — as an add-on medication for treating “off” episodes in those with Parkinson’s disease in the European Union. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) is maintaining…

By lessening the involuntary movements, called dyskinesia, experienced by people with advanced Parkinson’s disease, treatment with AbbVie’s Duodopa (levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel) was linked with better health-related quality of life, according to a post-hoc analysis of a clinical trial. Duodopa treatment also was tied to other added benefits, namely…

A new, potent inhibitor of the Bach1 protein — whose levels are elevated in brain tissue of Parkinson’s disease patients — showed neuroprotective effects in lab tests and lessened symptoms in a mouse model of acute Parkinson’s, a study found. Most importantly, the inhibitor had therapeutic potential when administered…