A simple daily pill could stop Parkinson's disease before it starts
Australian researchers have conducted a trial using an experimental daily pill that appears to reduce brain inflammation in patients at high risk for Parkinson's disease. While the results are promising, experts emphasize that further long-term trials are required to confirm if the drug can prevent the disease.
Why it matters
This research offers a potential breakthrough in preventative medicine for a neurodegenerative condition that currently has no cure.
Australian researchers have taken a promising step towards stopping Parkinson’s disease before symptoms appear, with a simple pill reducing brain inflammation in high-risk patients. For 69-year-old Seamus Fagan, simple movements reveal the toll of Parkinson’s. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Australian researchers take promising step towards stopping Parkinson’s disease “Slowness in walking, dragging my feet, lost my sense of smell,” he said. More than 150,000 Australians live with the disease, a number expected to triple by 2050. There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s. “There hasn’t been many breakthroughs for the Parkinson’s community to stay positive and feel hopeful,” Parkinson’s Australia CEO Olivia Nassaris said. That could be about to change. Scientists in Sydney gave an experimental drug, a daily pill, to 41 people with early warning signs like movement during sleep.
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