Drug trial offers hope to Parkinson’s patients

A clinical trial is testing whether a new drug can improve motor fluctuations in people with Parkinson’s disease.

The ARISE study is examining the oral drug solengepras, also known as CVN424, in people with movement, balance and coordination problems.

Researchers are studying whether the drug can reduce the activity of an overactive brain receptor thought to contribute to stiffness, slowness, unsteadiness and shaking.

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is taking part in the international study, which has recruited 341 participants across the US, Europe, the UK and Australia.

The trial aims to establish whether solengepras can improve motor fluctuations, unpredictable swings between good and poor symptom control during the day.

Dr Mubasher Qamar, senior movement disorder and neurology clinical and research fellow at King’s, said: “Parkinson’s Disease has a number of wide-ranging effects on people’s quality of life, including an impact on movement, causing tremor, slowness and stiffness.

“There is currently no cure, and as the condition progresses, standard treatments can become less effective at controlling symptoms, leaving people with ‘motor fluctuations’: unpredictable swings between good and poor symptom control throughout the day.”

Caroline Thomson, a patient at King’s College Hospital who has lived with Parkinson’s disease for eight years, is among the participants.

She said: “The treatment and care that gives me my quality of life would not exist without decades of research, and so it feels extremely rewarding to be part of a trial that could improve the lives of Parkinson’s patients years in the future.

“By taking part in research, I have had the opportunity to learn so much about Parkinson’s Disease, and what I can do to make life easier and more enjoyable.

“While I do not yet know whether I received solengepras (CVN424) or a placebo, I look forward to the outcome of the trial, with the hope that a new treatment for Parkinson’s may be on the horizon.”