Will Cook
Cure Parkinson’s – the charity supported by popular City networking events the Gulls Egg Luncheon and the Grouse & Grape Luncheon – has made a major breakthrough in its mission to cure the disease.
Following promising results reported at Phase Two in 2020, a large-scale Phase Three clinical trial of ambroxol, a drug currently used to treat respiratory conditions, will start in early 2023.
The ASPro-PD trial is a world-first Phase Three trial aimed at establishing ambroxol’s potential to slow the progression of Parkinson’s.
This trial, led by Professor Anthony Schapira at University College London (UCL), will involve 330 people with Parkinson’s across 10-12 clinical centres in the UK.
It is placebo controlled and participants will take ambroxol for two years.
The effectiveness of ambroxol will be measured by its ability to slow the progression of Parkinson’s using a scale including quality of life and movement.
Ambroxol is one of the drugs prioritised by the International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT) programme, created and operated by Cure Parkinson’s and Van Andel Institute.
The programme’s mission is to slow, stop and reverse the progression of Parkinson’s.
Ambroxol is a commonly used medication in Europe as a treatment for respiratory diseases. It promotes the clearance of mucus, eases coughing and has anti-inflammatory properties.
This trial will cost £5.5 million, which is being funded by Cure Parkinson’s alongside its strategic partners, Van Andel Institute and the John Black Charitable Foundation (JBCF), and by the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, the drug discovery and development arm of Parkinson's UK.
Cure Parkinson’s will fund £2.2 million of the total cost, with the other funders contributing £1.1 million each.
Anyone interested in taking part in the trial should enrol in PD Frontline - a remote study offering online genetic testing for people with Parkinson’s.
You can find out more here.
Cure Parkinson’s chief executive, Will Cook, said: “This trial is a big step forward in the search to find new treatments for Parkinson’s. Once the ambroxol trial is underway, it will be one of only six Phase 3 trials on public record of potentially disease-modifying drugs in Parkinson’s, worldwide.
“We at Cure Parkinson’s are working hard - through our efforts within the iLCT programme and in our fundraising efforts – to increase this number significantly in the next few years, to accelerate our progress towards a cure for Parkinson’s.”
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