News

Treating Parkinson’s disease with CVT-301 — an investigational, inhaled levodopa — causes no changes in lung function, according to results of two clinical trials led by Acorda Therapeutics of Ardsley, New York. Acorda is developing CVT-301 to treat “off” episodes in Parkinson’s patients who are taking oral carbidopa/levodopa. The inhaled formulation delivers a precise…

Results of the Cantabio Pharmaceuticals’ therapeutic program targeting the protein DJ-1 as a new therapeutic avenue for Parkinson’s disease will be presented at the 13th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease, being held in Vienna on March 29-April 2. The presentation, to be delivered by Cantabio’s CEO…

The Journal of Parkinson’s Disease has organized a special issue for Parkinson’s Awareness Month, to mark the 200th anniversary of James Parkinson’s first account of the disease that would one day bear his name. This is a special issue of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. (Photo…

Increasing treatment success in Parkinson’s requires a change in the way researchers and doctors view and approach this disease, experts wrote in two recent studies. “The time has come to ask what we should be doing differently,” Alberto Espay, MD, senior author of both studies, said in a news…

Flexilev microtablets containing both levodopa/carbidopa, used with an automatic dose dispenser, seemed to improve self-reported symptom control in some patients with Parkinson’s disease, according to a first report of the treatment’s real-life use. The study, “First clinical experience with levodopa/carbidopa microtablets in Parkinson’s disease,” also noted that most patients…

Contrary to current scientific thought, tracking the activity of a protein called dopamine transporter (DAT) may not reflect the loss of dopamine neurons in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra (one of the most affected regions in patients with Parkinson’s disease). These findings were published in the…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Xadago (safinamide) as an add-on therapy to increase the effectiveness of levodopa/carbidopa in Parkinson’s disease. Xadago limits the number of  “off” episodes, or increases in symptoms, among patients on levodopa/carbidopa, clinical trials have shown. “Parkinson’s is a relentless disease without a cure,” Eric Bastings,…

The Vancouver-based Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University (MNI) and Merck Canada have jointly established an innovative platform to develop and advance new drugs for Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurological illnesses. The initiative, dubbed NeuroCDRD, initially…

Even brief exposure to air pollution can increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological diseases, concludes a Korean study. The study, “Short-term air pollution exposure aggravates Parkinson’s disease in a population-based cohort,” appeared in the journal Scientific Reports. Various environmental factors contribute to the pathology of Parkinson’s, but air…

The 23rd Parkinson’s Unity Walk will take place on April 22 in New York City’s Central Park, according to The Parkinson Alliance. The walk is the largest grassroots fundraiser for Parkinson’s disease research in the U.S. Thousands of patients, caregivers, family, and friends will gather for the walk (or participate from home) to raise money for the…