Parkinson’s disease therapy: what lies ahead?

Abstract

The worldwide prevalence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been constantly increasing in the last decades. With rising life expectancy, a longer disease duration in PD patients is observed, further increasing the need and socioeconomic importance of adequate PD treatment. Today, PD is exclusively treated symptomatically, mainly by dopaminergic stimulation, while efforts to modify disease progression could not yet be translated to the clinics. New formulations of approved drugs and treatment options of motor fluctuations in advanced stages accompanied by telehealth monitoring have improved PD patients care. In addition, continuous improvement in the understanding of PD disease mechanisms resulted in the identification of new pharmacological targets. Applying novel trial designs, targeting of pre-symptomatic disease stages, and the acknowledgment of PD heterogeneity raise hopes to overcome past failures in the development of drugs for disease modification. In this review, we address these recent developments and venture a glimpse into the future of PD therapy in the years to come.