Drug May Cut Tremors Associated With Parkinson's
06.01.08, 8:00 PM ET
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/hea...out615943.html
MONDAY, June 2 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug may help people with Parkinson's disease combat the tics, spasms and tremors they experience when their main medications wear off, a new study suggests.
Istradfeylline works by helping nerve and brain signals bypass the damaged dopamine system in the brain that leads to Parkinson's. A study of 395 Parkinson's patients on levodopa, a popular Parkinson's drug, found those using istradefylline experienced 24 percent less "off" time, defined as when the physical symptoms appear after levodopa wears off. A group of those studied who took a placebo showed a 10 percent decrease in "off" time.
READ full article...