Future treatments for Parkinson's disease: Surfing the PD pipeline

Abstract

Our current wish list for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) includes therapies that will provide robust and sustained antiparkinsonian benefit through the day, ameliorate or prevent dyskinesia, and slow or prevent the progression of the disease. In this article, I review selected new therapies in clinical development for motor features or treatment complications of PD, and some that may slow disease progression. These include adenosine 2a (A2a) antagonists (istradefylline, preladenant, and SYN115), levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG), IPX066an extended-release formulation of carbidopa/levodopa, XP21279a sustained-release levodopa prodrug, ND0611a carbidopa subcutaneous patch, safinamidea mixed mechanism of action medication that may provide both MAO-B and glutamate inhibition, PMY50028an oral neurotrophic factor inducer, antidyskinesia medications (AFQ056 and fipamezole), and gene therapies (AAV2-neurturin and glutamic acid decarboxylase gene transfer). Some of these therapies will never be proven efficacious and will not come to market while others may play a key role in the future treatment of PD. © 2011 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.