Team finds that drug used for another disease slows progression of Parkinson's
 

I find this report very confusing. I've been following this drug, AT2101, for many years as I've been a shareholder in the manufacturer, Amicus Therapeutics (FOLD). They are headquartered close to where I live. They've reported directly on this, or similar, pre-clinical research at least 8 years ago and maybe even longer. I'm not sure why they are now coming out with similar research out of UCLA, or why it never went forward with human clinical studies. Possibly it's a money issue because they are a small biotech. They have just reported very good phase 3 results for the same drug for Fabry Disease, an inherited lysosomal storage disorder. They will be applying for an NDA soon. Fabry is a rare disease, and thus, Amicus was able to get orphan drug status. There is a lot of money to be made, and much easier approval, for orphan drugs for rare diseases. The drug prices are huge and many small biotechs would rather spend their time and money on that research rather than more complicated trials that would be required for PD.

The stock price has more than tripled recently because of the Fabry news, so maybe they will raise some more money to work on PD, but it will be many years, if at all, before they can complete all of the required trials. Of course, they will also need money just to see this drug through to the finish line for Fabry's.

Just to show you want I mean about the research being somewhat outdated, MJFF funded and reported on their pre-clinical studies back in 2006:

https://www.michaeljfox.org/foundati...p?grant_id=284

Confusing............

Both Forbes and Science Daily have news reports announcing the positve test results of At2101 in lab rats, claiming that it slows PD progression. As has been mentioned, this is not a new drug. Why get everyones hopes up? Probably trying to boost company stock prices at the our emotional expense. I don't know about others who suffer with this illness, but I am quickly becoming jaded and cynical with these false hopes being offered up by the research community on a continual basis. Where is the beef?

welcome to the internet. would you deny giving a little hope to some lab rats?
as an advanced pd'er, i have a lot other things i'm more concerned about than the avalanche of early research results, i feel sorry for researchers that have to play this game.

i've stopped posting any rodent research except for that where where they are taught to do chin ups. :)

I agree Soccertes. Same goes for fruit flies!

Well those studies are very important to my two-year old grandson. His favorite characters, Mickey and Minnie, never have to worry about getting PD. There must be at least a dozen cures for them already available.

LOL,
I hate to break this to you but mickey and minnie aren't real. rats and mice likely get pd but they have a better medical system than we do and like you said, they found the cure after spending so much time in the lab A.KA. "THE SECRET OF NIMH". LOL sad but true. :)

as you can tell, my l-dopa is working well. diving into AMANTADINE tomorrow, just staring at the my newly filled RX.