Could Parkinson’s disease be slowed down by a treatment like the popular weight-loss pills Ozempic and Wegovy?
A recent, brief study indicates that it might: A group of French researchers monitored 156 individuals with early-stage Parkinson’s disease for a year after they were randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or the GLP-1 receptor agonist lixisenatide from Sanofi.
What did they find out? The tremor, stiffness, slowness, and balance associated with Parkinson’s disease worsened in individuals receiving a placebo but not in those receiving the medication.
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The results, according to experts, provide a solid foundation for further investigation into the medication’s ability to treat movement disorders.
Dr. Michael Okun, a Parkinson’s disease specialist at the University of Florida who was not involved in the study, told the New York Times that while it is not a sure thing, it is “nibbling at the edges of disease ication.”
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The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s Dr. Hyun Joo Chu called the study “very important,” but she issued a warning that the preliminary investigation was merely intended to test a theory.
She informed the Times that “there are many, many examples of very promising Phase 2 trials.” “After a lot of excitement, things don’t work out.”
Furthermore, over 50% of the patients had nausea and vomiting, which could have been caused by the researchers starting with the highest dose rather than progressively increasing it.
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The idea that a GLP-1 medication may reduce Parkinson’s disease didn’t seem all that crazy to the researchers, who were led by Drs. Wassilios Meissner of the University of Bordeaux and Olivier Rascol of the University of Toulouse.
According to studies, there is a higher chance of Parkinson’s disease among those with type 2 diabetes, Rascol told the Times. However, among people who take a GLP-1 medication to treat their diabetes, that elevated risk decreases.
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He also mentioned that GLP-1 medications cure insulin resistance, which is typically found in the brain tissue of deceased Parkinson’s patients.
Despite the researchers’ desire to conduct a more extensive and prolonged investigation, Sanofi ceased selling the medication in the US and has begun to remove it from circulation elsewhere. A corporate representative informed the Times that the decision was taken for commercial purposes.
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