OZEMPIC-LIKE DRUG SLOWED PROGRESSION OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE IN NEW TRIAL

An older diabetes treatment called lixisenatide resulted in less progression of motor disability after 12 months in patients in an early stage of the disease.

A promising new trial found that an Ozempic-like drug used to treat diabetes might also help patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Lixisenatide — a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist like Ozempic and Wegovy — previously showed neuroprotective properties in a mouse model of the degenerative brain condition, according to the results of the phase-two, placebo-controlled human trial, published on April 3 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

In this latest study, the drug, manufactured by Sanofi, helped slow the progression of motor disability after 12 months in people in an early stage of Parkinson’s disease. Motor disability includes symptoms such as tremors, rigid muscles, slowed movement known as bradykinesia, impaired posture and balance, and speech changes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The trial followed 156 people — between the ages of 40 and 75 — with early Parkinson’s disease, all of whom continued to take their usual Parkinson’s medication.

One group was administered an additional daily injection of lixisenatide for 12 months, while the other group received a placebo.

The placebo group experienced worsened motor symptoms, while the patients taking lixisenatide showed no progression of their motor disability, though some had gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea and vomiting, which are common across all GLP-1 medications.

The difference between the two groups remained two months after the trial’s end and patients stopped taking Sanofi’s drug.

While the results are encouraging, the researchers said in their published report that “longer and larger trials are needed to determine the effects and safety of lixisenatide” in people with Parkinson’s disease, as well as how long the benefits of the drug last.

“Whether the apparent effect of lixisenatide on motor disability persists with longer exposure and at other stages of Parkinson’s disease remains to be determined,” the researchers noted.

Sanofi pulled lixisenatide, sold under the brand name Adlyxin, from the U.S. market in January 2023. The French pharmaceutical and health care company said at the time that the discontinuation “was a business decision and was not due to safety or efficacy issues.”

In a statement to CNBC, Sanofi—which was not involved in the new phase-two trial—said it was “pleased to see the positive outcomes” of the study and is open to “a discussion with the investigators of the study on providing support for their next phase of research.”