A drug similar to ozempic did not treat Parkinson’s disease in the study

The idea was so tempting. Drugs in the GLP-1 class, which include Wegova and Ozmpic, proved to be wonderful in treating weight loss and other diseases. And some researchers hoped that drugs could also aid in some of the most tough diseases for treatment – the brain, such as Parkinson.

But now, at least for Parkinson, this hope seems subdued. A tough study that randomly assigned Parkinson patients to take an exenatide, a relative of Ozmpic, showed absolutely not benefits or slowing down the course of degenerative disease after 96 weeks.

And there was no influence on the patient’s symptoms, the lack of influence on the brain scans, no subgroup that showed any benefit. No matter how scientists cut the data, the results were the same.

TestPublished on Tuesday in Lancet, this is bad news for half a million Americans who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Symptoms include tremor, rigidity and difficulties with balance. Patients can also develop dementia. Treatment, including drugs and deep brain stimulation, can aid with symptoms. But it has not been shown that treatment does not leisurely down the progress of the disease.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Dr. Thomas Foltine of the University College London, who led the trial. “We expected us to go and get a positive result.”

Parkinson’s experts shared his sentiment.

“This is a sobering moment,” said Dr. Michael S. Okun, an expert on Parkinson’s disease at the University of Florida and the National Medical Advisor of the Parkinson Foundation. “This is a really well done study and it has become empty -handed.”

The discovery can affect researchers who ask if newer GLP-1 drugs can aid leisurely down Alzheimer’s course or prevent disease.

The up-to-date study included 194 people with Parkinson’s disease treated in six research hospitals in Great Britain. Patients were randomly assigned to inject once a week for 96 weeks with Exenatide, treatment of type 2 diabetes made by Astrazeneca and sold under the Byetta brand, or with placebo. The process was financed by the British National Institute for Health and Care Research with the support of Charity Cure Parkinson’s and Van andel Institute.

The drug is in the same class as ozempic and wagova and, like them, lowers blood sugar. They are all so-called GLP-1 receptor agonists, commonly called GLP-1. Exenatide is not as powerful in causing weight loss as newer drugs, but experts say that there is no reason to think that newer drugs would work differently in brain disease studies.

The results, according to scientists, are particularly disappointing because there have been suggestions that GLP-1 drugs can aid Parkinson patients.

GLP-1 drugs were protected by neurons from damage in laboratory tests and in the study With rats, which brain injuries such as in Parkinson’s disease.

It seemed that the results may also apply to patients.

“People began to dig in a claim database,” said Dr. Okun, explaining that scientists examined immense databases showing medicines that people have taken and their diagnoses. Researchers asked if the patients who took GLP-1 may be less likely to obtain Parkinson or, if they had it, they would have a disease that progressed more slowly.

The results were promising.

They looked on epidemiological research. They discovered that people with diabetes who took GLP-1 were less likely to have Parkinson.

Then two small tests were suggested This Exenatide can slow down progress About the symptoms of some Parkinson per year.

Continuing progress instructions, a larger but still preliminary study, Published last year In the Modern England Journal of Medicine, he stated that GLP-1, which is no longer on the market-lixisenatide-has been on the progression of the disease for a year.

Dr. Okun said then that the result was “buying the edge of the disease modification.”

“We had a trial and a diminutive signal last year,” said Dr. David Standaert, Parkinson researcher from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. “What would happen if you went longer? Well, it is longer and not much here. “

Dr Standaert, the problem with the GLP-1 study in Parkinson’s disease, is that what she was supposed to do in the brain of eldatyd.

“I wouldn’t do such a other study unless you find out what the goal is,” said Dr. Standaert. “What is the biochemistry that you try to change in the brain? How do these drugs work at all? “