Work is still being done in the area.

In a paper published recently Bi et al. [1] write:

"Rifampicin is a macrocyclic antibiotic used extensively for the treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and other mycobacterial infections. Recently, it was discovered that rifampicin exhibits neuroprotective effects. It has been shown to protect PC12 cells against MPP+-induced apoptosis and inhibit the expression of α-synuclein multimers. In in vitro studies, rifampicin pretreatment protects PC12 cells against rotenone-induced cell death. Qualitative and quantitative analyses uncover that rifampicin significantly suppresses rotenone-induced apoptosis by ameliorating mitochondrial oxidative stress. It reduces microglial inflammation and improves neuron survival. Our results indicate that rifampicin is cytoprotective under a variety of experimental conditions, and suggest that it may be useful in PD therapeutics."

Reference

[1] "Rifampicin and Parkinson's disease."
Bi W, Zhu L, Jing X, Liang Y, Tao E.
Neurol Sci. 2013 Feb;34(2):137-41. doi: 10.1007/s10072-012-1156-0. Epub 2012 Jul 21.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22821065

John