An upcoming clinical trial, known as the AZA-PD study, will test whether limiting the activity of the immune system through the use of an immunosuppressant can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease.
The Phase 2 trial (ISRCTN14616801) — officially Azathioprine immunosuppression and disease modification in Parkinson’s disease — is a proof of concept study expected to enroll 60 patients with an elevated risk of disease progression. The participants will be randomly divided into two groups, with one set given a placebo and the other treated with an “old drug” called azathioprine