This April, explore the #ABCsofPD for Parkinson’s Awareness Month

To mark this April as Parkinson’s Awareness Month, the Parkinson’s Foundation has created the #ABCsofPD to provide information about relevant symptoms, statistics and treatments.

According to data from the Parkinson’s Foundation, approximately 1 million Americans are currently living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and its prevalence is increasing. Nearly 90,000 Americans will be diagnosed with PD this year.

For its monthlong campaign, the Parkinson’s Foundation has created the #ABCsofPD, wherein each letter of the alphabet receives its own word and definition related to PD. For instance, B stands for “balance,” drawing attention to the fact that more than half of people with Parkinson’s will experience a fall in the next year.

The foundation’s goal of this campaign is to help the public recognize the early signs of PD and provide educational resources on the symptoms that impact the daily lives of people with PD.

In recognition of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Healio recaps the latest news and research concerning PD, including clinical trial updates.

FDA approves deep brain stimulation device for neuro-related movement disorders

In January, the FDA approved Percept RC Deep Brain Stimulation (Medtronic), a battery-powered rechargeable deep brain stimulation system for patients with Parkinson’s disease and other disorders such as essential tremor, epilepsy and dystonia, according to the manufacturer. Read more.

Partnership to advance digital biomarker platform for Parkinson’s disease

Indivi, a Swiss-based medical technology company, has announced a partnership with Biogen to advance a digital biomarker platform involved in a planned clinical trial for BIIB122, a novel therapeutic to treat Parkinson’s disease. Read more.

First-in-human clinical trial for disease-modifying Parkinson’s treatment commences

Mission Therapeutics, a United Kingdom-based clinical-stage biotech company, has announced commencement of a first-in-human clinical trial of a selective central nervous system-penetrant compound to treat Parkinson’s disease. Read more.

Caregiver depression linked to patient quality of life in Parkinson’s disease

In dyads of Parkinson’s disease patients and caregivers, caregivers with a higher risk for depression were associated with patients’ lower quality of life and higher number of annual ED visits. Read more.

Biopharma firm to commence phase 2 study of oral small molecule drug for Parkinson’s

A New York-based biopharmaceutical company has received a grant from Cure Parkinson’s to initiate a phase 2 clinical trial investigating dapansutrile, an oral small molecule, as a disease-modifying therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Read more.

Reference:

• Parkinson’s Foundation. Parkinson’s Awareness Month. https://www.parkinson.org/parkinsons-awareness-month#:~:text=Know%20the%20ABCs%20of%20PD&text=This%20April%20is%20Parkinson's%20Awareness,and%20tag%20us%20on%20social. Accessed April 4, 2024.