Funding could see debilitating side-effect cured
A partnership with Parkinson’s UK and a leading US biotech firm is promising to accelerate the development of a ground-breaking drug to treat a debilitating side effect of the illness.
Dyskinesias are involuntary muscle movements that can’t be controlled, including twitches, jerks, twisting or writhing movements, and restlessness.
It affects thousands of people in the UK and can make everyday tasks such as eating, walking and writing almost impossible.
Around half of all people with Parkinson’s will experience it after just five years of taking levodopa, and up to 80 per cent of people will experience it after 10 years of the medication.
The charity is now providing funding of more than £780,000 for biotech frim Neurolixis to carry out the final research needed before the drug, NLX-112, can progress to human clinical trials.
This includes drug formulation, preparation of clinical trial materials and safety and efficacy testing in a marmoset model of Parkinson’s.
Director of research and development at Parkinson’s UK, Dr Arthur Roach, said: “Because this drug has already reached phase two clinical trials in the past, we already know a lot about its safety.
“This means that, should this last stage of pre-clinical trials go well, we do not have to spend time on some of the normal steps in the development of a new treatment and it can progress directly to phase two clinical trials. If it succeeds in these trials, we could be seeing a new treatment for people with Parkinson’s within as little as five years.”
Matt Eagles has been taking medication for Parkinson’s since he was eight years old. Now in his 40s, he experiences dyskinesia daily. He said: “It’s like I have no control over my limbs and my strings are being pulled by a puppet master.
“I can’t hold things still, so I can’t do simple things people take for granted like read a book, hold a phone to my ear or type on a keyboard. Even going to the loo can be difficult and sometimes very embarrassing.”
The project is the second to be funded by Parkinson’s UK’s Virtual Biotech initiative. Launched last year to combat lost opportunities in drug discovery and early clinical development, the Virtual Biotech allows the charity to work with a range of other organisations and provide critical funding to push forward promising new treatment options and develop better treatments for the condition faster.
