Earlier this year we shared that a clinical trial of a compound with potential to slow disease progression was awarded $23 million from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Now the trial is recruiting newly diagnosed PD patients not yet in need of symptomatic therapy to test the drug’s efficacy.

The trial from the Parkinson Study Group is testing isradipine, a calcium channel blocker currently prescribed to treat high blood pressure. Data from large studies suggest a lower incidence of PD among people who take this class of drug, making it an attractive candidate for Parkinson’s research.

The Michael J. Fox Foundation funded early pre-clinical work into isradipine and the Phase II study of the compound’s safety and tolerability. The NIH funding will move the trial into Phase III efficacy testing.

Approximately 58 research centers across North America plan to enroll more than 300 newly diagnosed subjects. Visit www.foxtrialfinder.org or call 1-855-825-3390 to learn more.

Listen to a podcast about this study.