A new clinical trial being conducted as part of The Cure Parkinson's Trust's (CPT's) Linked Clinical Trials Programme is examining the potential of the cholesterol-lowering drug Simvastatin for its potential to treat the progressive neurological condition that affects approximately 10 to 20 million people around the world - a number expected to double by 2030.
The trial is a double-blinded placebo study that will examine 198 patients. The Plymouth University researchers spearheading the project are looking for people with Parkinson's that are not already taking a statin. The research will take place in 21 centers across the United Kingdom, including one in Plymouth.
Each year, The Cure Parkinson's Trust gathers the most respected Parkinson's experts from around the world to examine a variety of pre-selected compounds that show the potential to help in the treatment of the condition and determine a select few to bring to clinical trials. All of the compounds have already been determined safe and some are even used in other applications for other conditions.
"It is encouraging to see new compounds that are already approved as being safe for use in man being trialed for use in Parkinson's," said Camille Carroll, who will help conduct the trial, in a press release. "There have been few innovations in the treatment of Parkinson's for over 40 years and for the more than 127,000 people living with the condition in the U.K., the results of this trials programme could lead to new and highly effective treatments in the armoury of medications to tackle Parkinson's."
"We want to make a difference to those of us living with this condition within five years," added Tom Isaacs, co-founder of CPT. "The results of a recent trial in multiple sclerosis with simvastatin, and the pre-clinical work investigating its effect on alpha-synuclein clumping (which is a common feature of Parkinson's) indicate that it could be an effective treatment to slow down the progression of Parkinson's."
