New treatment in the future?

[snorre]

bloomberg.com/news/articles...

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Alan Hoffmann, a retired social science professor diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1997 who took part in the trial, said he was able to “empty the garbage, unload the dishwasher, load the washer and the dryer, set the table, even take responsibility for grilling” after taking the Novartis drug. Previously, he did almost nothing around the house.

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The drug, already approved by the FDA for cancer treatment, improved cognition, motor skills and non-motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease, the university researchers reported.

Note: earlier/sooner FDA approval as it is existing drug

"To my knowledge, this study represents the first time a therapy appears to reverse -- to a greater or lesser degree depending on stage of disease -- cognitive and motor decline in patients with these neurodegenerative disorders," said Dr. Fernando Pagan, an associate professor of neurology.

One patient confined to a wheelchair regained the ability to walk and three others individuals who were unable to speak before the trial were able to conduct conversations. However, the researchers noted that larger and more comprehensive studies and trials would be required to gauge the drug's true potential impact.

"The use of nilotinib (AMN107, trade name Tasigna), in doses much smaller than are used to treat cancer, which is up to 800 milligrams daily, was well tolerated with no serious side effects," Pagan explains.

For the trial the doses were kept between 150 and 300 milligrams daily, he added.

According to the researchers, one of the reasons for the trial's success was that Tasigna was able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier more effectively than existing Parkinson's drugs. Moreover, they are already planning larger clinical trials with the drug for Parkinson's and other diseases including Alzheimer's.

techtimes.com/articles/9671...

The drug is already on the market. Its cost is very high: $9,000- $10,000 for 28 pills. It may also have side effects, such as cephalalgia, sickness and tiredness.

trinitynewsdaily.com/tasign...

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“I never anticipated seeing this type of improvement, especially in some of these end-stage patients – stage three, four and five of Parkinson’s disease. So that’s why we’re really excited,” said Dr. Fernando Pagan, a neurologist with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

Two studies have been commissioned for early 2016 and will look at how patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases respond to Tasigna. The drug has already been approved by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

ctvnews.ca/health/cancer-dr...

Tasigna was linked to an increase in dopamine, requiring doses of L-dopa and other dopamine-sparing drugs to be lowered or stopped altogether. Once treatment with Tasigna stopped, cognitive and motor function declined even though L-dopa therapies were reinstated. The drug also penetrated the blood-brain barrier more efficiently than dopamine drugs.

thepharmaletter.com/article...

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And finally, Parkinson's and dementia patients would have to keep taking nilotinib indefinitely or their symptoms would continue to get worse.

Alan Hoffman was OK for about three weeks after the study ended and he stopped taking the drug. Since then, "There's (been) a pretty big change," his wife says. "He does have more problems with his speech, and he has more problems with cognition and more problems with mobility."

The Hoffmans hope to get more nilotinib from the drug's maker, Novartis, through a special program for people who improve during experiments like this one.

npr.org/sections/health-sho...

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How to participate in trials?

neurology.georgetown.edu/pa...

online contact form

medstargeorgetown.org/conta...

[snorre in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou RoyProp

Lets hope it turns out to be suksessfull.

It is already in use so if suksessfull it migth not use so very long time to the market?

4 to 7 years , perhaps?

[Hidden in reply to snorre]

Its should be less than 4 to 7 years. It may be only for those Canadians in the trial, but it appears prescrips will be written now. For those few that trialed, Novartis may give/continue on letting them use the drug..... So! If they can receive prescription for Tasigna, how about the rest of us PwP?

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if this drug is approved for use in the USA

would a Doctor be able to prescribe it for use as a PD med?

a lot of drugs are use for things that they were not intended for

[snorre in reply to Hidden]

bioline.org.br/request?jp11044

[Hidden in reply to snorre]

estimated that the time required for development of a repositioned drug varies between 3 and 12 years with substantially lower costs, thereby ensuring the repositioning company significant savings in terms of time and capital.

[Hidden in reply to snorre]

Approved the same year???

Recent examples include plerixafor, studied as an inhibitor of HIV but subsequently launched in 2009 for mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells in the treatment of multiple myeloma, and milnacipran, initially developed and launched outside the US as an antidepressant and later approved in the US for the treatment of fibromyalgia in 2009.