A simple diabetes injection once a day could help slow the progression of Parkinson’s symptoms.
In what has been hailed as an “important step forward” for the treatment of the disease, one trial found that lixisenatide reduced worsening tremors and slowness of movement.
Known under the brand name Lyxumia, scientists believe it may have a protective effect on the brain, helping to slow the damage caused by the disease.
The study involved 156 people who had recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
In what has been hailed as an “important step forward” for the treatment of the disease, one trial found that lixisenatide reduced worsening tremors and slowness of movement. Known under the brand name Lyxumia (pictured), scientists believe it may have a protective effect on the brain, helping to slow the damage caused by the disease.
Weight loss vaccines like Wegovy and Ozempic, which contain semaglutide, work by causing the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 that is released naturally from the intestines after meals.
Half received daily injections of the licensed diabetes medication and the other half received a placebo along with their usual medication.
After 12 months, the progression of motor symptoms in those receiving lixisenatide treatment slowed and even showed slight signs of improvement, while those in the other group continued to progress.
The charities said the findings were “extremely positive” and would give real hope to the 18,000 patients diagnosed each year in the UK.
Dr Richard Wyse, director of clinical development at Cure Parkinson’s, said: “I am delighted to see the extremely positive and innovative clinical outcome of the lixisenatide trial, which could have real meaning for people living with Parkinson’s.”
The drug belongs to a group of drugs called GLP-1R agonists, including Wegovy and Ozempic, which have gained global attention for their weight loss properties.
They work by mimicking the action of a natural gut hormone that is produced after eating food, stimulating the release of insulin from the pancreas, which helps the body’s cells absorb glucose which is eventually converted into energy.
Traditionally a medication for type 2 diabetes, scientists repurposed the drug based on known links between the conditions.
Previous research has found that diabetics are about 40 percent more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease, which also tends to be more aggressive in these patients.
Meanwhile, those taking diabetes medications have been found to have a reduced risk of developing the neurological condition.
Professors Wassilios Meissner and Olivier Rascol from Toulouse University Hospital, who led the trial, said they were confident these findings would translate into practical treatments.
They said: ‘For 30 years, we have been trying to understand how to slow the decline associated with Parkinson’s disease over time.
‘In this context, the positive results of the Lixipark phase 2 trial, showing a reduced progression of the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in one year, constitute an important step forward in the future treatment of the disease.
“We hope to confirm these encouraging results in the future so we can translate them into clinical practice.”
Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the results were consistent two months after stopping treatment.
As with weight-loss medications, common side effects included nausea in nearly half (46 percent) and vomiting in 13 percent of those taking the drug.
Knowing the symptoms of Parkinson’s can allow earlier diagnoses and access to treatments that improve patients’ quality of life.
Commenting on the findings, Masud Husain, professor of neurology at the University of Oxford, said: “The results of this trial are really encouraging for people with Parkinson’s disease.
‘After one year, patients taking the drug had significantly better movements than those not taking the drug.
“However, the results do not provide conclusive evidence that the drug has a protective effect on the brain to effectively slow the progression of the disease.”
Professor David Dexter, director of Parkinson’s UK research, said: “The most significant part of these results is the small improvement seen in clinical measures of motor symptoms in those receiving lixisenatide.
‘From this 12-month study, it is difficult to say whether the drug is slowing the progression of the disease.
“A longer trial could demonstrate this and could be the next logical step.”