Motor and cognitive advantages persist 12 months after exenatide exposure in Parkinson's disease.
BACKGROUND
Data from an open label randomised controlled trial have suggested possible advantages on both motor and non-motor measures in patients with Parkinson's disease following 12 months exposure to exenatide.


OBJECTIVE
Continued follow up of these same patients was performed to investigate whether these possible advantages persisted in the prolonged absence of this medication.


METHODS
All participants from an open label, randomised controlled trial of exenatide as a treatment for Parkinson's disease, were invited for a further follow up assessment at the UCL Institute of Neurology. This visit included all 20 individuals who had previously completed twelve months exposure to exenatide 10ug bd and the 24 individuals who had acted as randomised controls. Motor severity of PD was compared after overnight withdrawal of conventional PD medication using blinded video assessment of the MDS-UPDRS, together with several non-motor tests. This assessment was thus 24 months after their original baseline visit, i.e. 12 months after cessation of exenatide.


RESULTS
Compared to the control group of patients, patients previously exposed to exenatide had an advantage of 5.6 points (95% CI, 2.2-9.0; p = 0.002) using blinded video rating of the MDS-UPDRS part 3 motor subscale. There was also a difference of 5.3 points; (95% CI, 9.3-1.4; p = 0.006) between the 2 groups on the Mattis Dementia Rating scale.


CONCLUSIONS
While these data must still not be interpreted as evidence of neuroprotection, they nevertheless provide strong encouragement for the further study of this drug as a potential disease modifying agent in Parkinson's disease.
['Aviles-Olmos|Iciar|I|', 'Dickson|John|J|', 'Kefalopoulou|Zinovia|Z|', 'Djamshidian|Atbin|A|', 'Kahan|Joshua|J|', 'Ell|Peter|P|', 'Whitton|Peter|P|', 'Wyse|Richard|R|', 'Isaacs|Tom|T|', 'Lees|Andrew|A|', 'Limousin|Patricia|P|', 'Foltynie|Thomas|T|']
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents D003071:Cognition D000077270:Exenatide D005500:Follow-Up Studies D006801:Humans D008875:Middle Aged D010300:Parkinson Disease D010455:Peptides D016896:Treatment Outcome D014688:Venoms
exenatide Parkinson's disease UPDRS clinical trial diabetes mellitus disease modifying treatment