Parkinson's Drug Showing Promise
Scientists are praising a drug that appears to significantly slow the progression of Parkinson's disease, BBC News Online reports.
When compared to traditional therapies, ropinirole appears to be more effective at stemming the typical loss of nerve function and has fewer side effects, the BBC report says.
However, it is not as effective as in controlling other Parkinson's symptoms, including shaking, lack of coordination, and lack of facial expression.
Ropinirole works by stimulating the receptors that produce dopamine, a brain chemical that Parkinson's patients lack. Over a two-year study period, the drug slowed the disease's loss of nerve function by an average of 35 percent. And patients were nine times less likely to develop the uncontrollable jerking movements that characterize long-term use of other Parkinson's drugs.
The study was conducted by researchers at Britain's Medical Research Council Clinical Sciences Centre and the Imperial College of London. Results are published in the Annals of Neurology.
-- Linda Searing and Scott Roberts
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