The launch of a new drug has been hailed as a breakthrough for sufferers of Parkinson's disease. Research into Azilect, also known as rasagaline, has shown that when taken soon afer diagnosis, it can actually slow the progress of the neurological condition.
Before, drugs could be given to reduce the symptoms, but there was no treatment that could actually inhibit the rate at which the disease developed.
The drug - developed at the Technion - is also easier to take than other Parkinson's treatments as it is a one-a-day pill.
Dr Doug MacMahon, a consultant treating Parkinson's patients in Redruth, Cornwall, says the drugs offers new hope.
'The drug was originally designed to relieve the symptoms of the disease,' he says, 'but in tests researchers also found it slowed Parkinson's when given very early on.'
Parkinson's is a degenterative disease of the nervous system associated with trembling of the arms and legs, stiffness and rigidity of the muscles and slowness of movement.
It affects 120,000 people in the UK, with 10,000 sufferers diagonosed annually. One in 20 is under 40 years old.
Dopamine, which regulates movement, is thought to be a key factor in the disease When levels of dopamine are depleted, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease emerge. Increasing dopamine levels can improve these symptoms.
Two types of drug are used to treat the disease. Drugs such as levodopa work by boosting levels of dopamine, while drugs such as entacapone and Azilect inhibit MAOB, an enzyme that breaks down dopamine in the central nervous system.
In a study of 687 Parkinson's patients from Israel, Argentina and Europe, Azilect and entracapone were compared when used with levodopa.
Both drugs reduced the time each day that patients suffered from impaired movement.
But while entacapone must be taken several times a day, Azilect can be taken just once a day.
Azilect has been a revelation for David Picken, 69 from Radwell, Bedfordshire, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his mid 40s.
'I thought I'd tried all the treatments when a consultant at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge suggested I took part in the Azilect trial' he says.
'I didn't have high hopes, but was willing to try anything. I've been on the trial for nearly five years and it is still working. I get the occasional trmor, but my life has changed completely. The drug has given me back the freedom to carry on with life'.
Mr Pickin, who used to work as a manager for a defence company, is able to go out for a daily run, thanks to Azilect.
His wife Mary 65, a retired school administrator, says,'This drug has been a real boost to David. he was starting to get a bit depressed when the other drugs failed, but he will not let the disease get the better of him.
He has had to give up driving but he is still able to do his two-mile jog to the village and enjoys gardening. For someone as active as David, it is important that this symptoms are well controlled.'
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