2024-04-22 11:47:21
There are many medicines that are used for multiple diseases. A diabetes remedy recently proved to be doubly effective.
Diabetes medications can have positive side effects. The weight loss injection has recently proven this. Now a new study shows: Another active ingredient against diabetes has the potential to help patients who suffer from another disease.
Study: Diabetes drug could slow down Parkinson’s disease
Accordingly, the diabetes drug lixisenatide was able to slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease in a clinical study. The active ingredient was tested on 156 patients who were in the early phase of their disease. They were all already taking the standard Parkinson’s drug, levodopa, or other medicines. Half of the test subjects also received the active ingredient lixisenatide, the other half received a placebo.
The result was promising: After one year, participants in the placebo control group showed an expected worsening of their symptoms. However, in those who took lixisenatide, the severity of Parkinson’s disease did not change. They had not developed typical Parkinson’s symptoms – such as tremors or stiffness in the limbs. However, many test subjects experienced side effects such as nausea and vomiting.
Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s is the second most common disease of the nervous system worldwide after Alzheimer’s. In Germany alone, almost half a million people are affected. The disease is characterized by tremors, muscle stiffness and slow movements, but can also be accompanied by sleep and memory problems or mood swings. You can read more about the signs and stages of Parkinson’s here.
Success proven, but the principle of action is unclear
According to the researchers, the exact mechanism of action of the diabetes drug in Parkinson’s disease is not yet fully understood. Lixisenatide is thought to reduce inflammation, which may help improve symptoms.
The drug Lixisenatide
The so-called GLP-1 receptor agonist is approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and belongs to a large family of similar active ingredients that are also used to treat obesity.
From the perspective of neurologist and Parkinson’s expert Prof. Joseph Claßen, the new results are “very interesting”. If Parkinson’s disease could be slowed down with this class of medication, it would be a huge success, said the first chairman of the German Society for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders (DPG) in a press release. “However, long-term studies still need to be carried out, including with better-tolerated, related active ingredients, in order to demonstrate their effectiveness and safety in more patients.”
Although there are already various treatment options for Parkinson’s – from medication to physiotherapy to surgical interventions – the disease is not yet curable. The new research results could therefore pave the way for more effective treatment.