Possible Disease-Modifying Therapy for Parkinson’s One Step Closer to Patients

FoxFeed Blog

Posted by  Rachel Dolhun, MD, November 26, 2014

CBS News in New York shined a spotlight on Parkinson’s research yesterday evening — for good reason.  A promising disease-modifying therapy is getting closer to reaching people with Parkinson’s.  

Isradipine — a medication currently approved to treat high blood pressure — is being studied to determine if it can influence the course of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Researchers believe the drug works to prevent the death of dopamine-producing cells and therefore might slow the progression of disease. Previous studies have confirmed drug safety and tolerability so testing will now move into a Phase III clinical trial — the largest, and last, stage of drug development testing. The STEADY-PD trial is recruiting over 300 participants with early PD, each of whom will take either isradipine or placebo and be monitored for three years.

Todd Sherer, CEO of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, told CBS News that isradipine is one of several active research areas in Parkinson’s. The Foundation has invested millions in helping to advance isradipine from the earliest testing in preclinical models to the current Phase III trial testing. Positive results from this study would move a disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s one step nearer to pharmacy shelves.

See if you are eligible for ongoing clinical trials by completing a profile on Fox Trial Finder.