Published online 6 October 2010 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2010.518
News
Damaged cell powerhouses linked to Parkinson's
New uses for old drugs
Such drugs have already been widely pursued as potential therapies for type 2 diabetes, and some have already been approved for that use. Avandia (rosiglitazone), a diabetes drug recently pulled from the European market because it raises the risk of heart attack, activates a key protein in the PGC-1α pathway.
But a related drug called Actos (pioglitazone) has not been firmly linked to heart attack and remains in use. Beal says that a clinical trial to test Actos in patients with Parkinson's disease has already been approved by regulators.
http://www.nature.com/news/2010/1010....2010.518.html
no mention of metformin altho it sounds safe for diabetes.