25th May 2011 - News release
PROSAVIN CLINICAL TRIAL DATA FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Oxford BioMedica, a leading gene therapy company, have announced clinical data from a Phase I/II clinical trial of ProSavin for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease. They claim : an average improvement in motor function of 43%, a maximum improvement of 61%, an increase in "on" time of 3 hours, and an decrease in "off" time of 4 hours. Two doses have been tested. For more information go to the News release. ProSavin uses Oxford BioMedica's own LentiVector gene delivery technology to deliver the genes for three enzymes that are required for the formation of dopamine. The product is administered locally to the relevant region of the brain in order to increase the brain's own capacity for the formation of dopamine. For more information go to ProSavin.
However, only nine patients have so far been tested, and only for part of the intended duration of the clinical trial. The claim of increased "on" time and decreased "off" time has come only from two patients, and had been entirely self reported by the patients themselves. The claim of an average improvement in motor function of 43%, and a maximum improvement of 61% comes from only three of the patients who have been tested for the least time. It was not the actual average improvement of the patients, which was much less. Those patients tested for the longest actually declined in their improvement as time wore on.