A cleaner attack on Parkinson's

Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. thinks its safinamide selective monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitor to treat Parkinson's disease has two qualities that set it apart from other MAO inhibitors: it blocks sodium and calcium channels, and it is reversible. Phase II results released last week suggest that safinamide may be effective at reducing deterioration of motor scores with few side effects in patients taking dopamine agonists.

In a subgroup of 31 patients receiving 1 mg/kg/day of safinamide plus a dopamine agonist, UPDRS III scores improved by an average of 32% compared to a 6% improvement for 31 patients receiving a dopamine agonist alone (p<0.015). Results were not significant for patients receiving a lower dose of safinamide plus a dopamine agonist, or for treatment-naive patients on safinamide alone (see B14).The three-month double-blind, placebo-controlled European Phase II trial enrolled 156 patients...