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Diabetes drug slows development of Parkinson’s disease

The drug, which is in the same family as blockbuster weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy, slowed development of symptoms by a small but statistically significant amount.
  1. David Adam

    1. David Adam is a writer in Hertford, near London.

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Magnetic resonance image (MRI) of Parkinson's Disease in the human brain.

The brain (artificially coloured) of a person with Parkinson’s disease. Credit: Cavallini James/BSIP/Science Photo Library

A diabetes drug related to the latest generation of obesity drugs can slow the development of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, a clinical trial suggests1. Participants who took the drug, called lixisenatide, for 12 months showed no worsening of their symptoms — a gain in a condition marked by progressive loss of motor control.

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doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-024-00974-0

References

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