Diabetes drug may slow down Parkinson's symptoms, study says

One diabetes medicine may slow the development of symptoms of Parkinson's according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Called lixisenatide the medicine is part of the same family of similar compounds used in medicines for diabetes and obesity, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, respectively.

During the period of study, which took 12 months, participants who took lixisenatide did not experience worsening of symptoms. More research is needed to control the medication's side effects and determine the best dose for preventing Parkinson's, but for the study authors, this is a promising step in the effort to combat the neurodegenerative disease.

“This is the first large-scale multicenter clinical trial that provides the signs of efficacy that have been sought for so many years,” says Olivier Rascol, Parkinson's researcher at the University Hospital of Toulouse, France, and study leader, in statement.

Lixisenatide is a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist . Semaglutide, present in Ozempic and Wegovy, is also a GLP-1 compound. Previous studies had already suggested that some medications with this compound could delay Parkinson's symptoms. Smaller essays, published in 2013 It is 2017suggested that the GLP-1 molecule exenatide, another diabetes drug, could have the same effect.

This may be related to the fact that these medications influence insulin and blood glucose levels, controlling diabetes which, according to studies already carried outmay increase the likelihood of developing Parkinson's.

How was the current study done?

In the most recent study, researchers investigated lixisenatide in 156 people with mild to moderate Parkinson's symptoms . All of them were already taking standard Parkinson's medication. Half of this sample received the diabetes medication for one year, while the rest received a placebo (control group).

After 12 months, participants in the control group showed worsening of Parkinson's symptoms — their score increased by three points on a scale to assess the severity of the disease, according to the study. Those who took lixisenatide did not have their scores changed on this same scale.

However, more studies and evaluations are needed to understand whether the effects of the Parkinson's slowing medication last longer than one year (study period). Another question to consider is how this type of medication can protect against Parkinson's. Some hypotheses point to the fact that GLP-1 reduces inflammation, which could prevent the loss of dopamine-producing neurons that drive the disease.

Researchers in the current study are awaiting the results of a larger clinical trial examining the effects of a two-year treatment with exenatide in people with Parkinson's disease.