San Diego Company’s Parkinson’s Drug Shows Promise For Alzheimer’s

Monday, December 26, 2016

By David Wagner

Acadia Pharmaceuticals

A bottle containing the Parkinson's drug Nuplazid is seen in this undated photo.

A drug made by San Diego-based Acadia Pharmaceuticals gained approval earlier this yearto treat Parkinson's-related psychosis, a problem experienced by many patients with the disease. 

This week, the company reported new study results suggesting their drug may also be effective at warding off hallucinations and delusions in Alzheimer’s patients.

The FDA approved pimavanserin, sold under the brand name Nuplazid, in April as the first drug to treat Parkinson’s-related psychosis. The agency called the problem "profoundly disturbing and disabling" and estimated it could affect half of patients to varying degrees.

On Tuesday, Acadia detailed results from a new clinical trial showing the drug also reduced psychosis in Alzheimer’s patients, though longer-term benefits of the drug remained unclear.

Acadia reported that patients who took the drug for six weeks saw a 3.76 point improvement on a clinical scale measuring hallucinations and delusions. Patients who took a placebo improved by 1.93 points during the same period.

Acadia said reductions in psychosis carried on past the six-week mark, but when patients were studied again at 12 weeks, the drug "did not statistically separate from placebo."

In a press release, Acadia’s CEO Steve Davis said the results "provide solid evidence that pimavanserin can improve psychosis in another major neurological disorder." 

The company’s stock price rose 13.6 percent on Tuesday.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that one million Americans suffer from Parkinson’s disease, and more than five million have Alzheimer’s. According to research, about 50 percent of Alzheimer’s patients can experience psychotic symptoms.

http://www.kpbs.org/news/2016/dec/26/san-diego-companys-parkinsons-drug-shows-promise-a/