Researchers at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are investigating whether a new oral medication could help people living with Parkinson’s Disease better manage some of the condition’s most challenging motor symptoms.
The international ARISE Phase 3 trial is assessing the effectiveness of solengepras (CVN424), an experimental treatment designed to target an overactive receptor in the brain that researchers believe contributes to symptoms such as stiffness, slowness, tremor, poor balance and unsteadiness.
Parkinson’s Disease affects millions of people worldwide and can have a significant impact on mobility, independence and overall quality of life. While current therapies can help control symptoms, many patients experience increasing difficulties as the condition progresses, including fluctuations in how well their medication works throughout the day.
The ARISE study has recruited 341 participants across the UK, Europe, the United States and Australia. Researchers are examining whether solengepras can reduce receptor overactivity in the brain and improve symptom control for patients experiencing these motor fluctuations.
Dr Mubasher Qamar, Senior Movement Disorder and Neurology Clinical and Research Fellow at King’s, said:
“Parkinson’s Disease has a number of wide-ranging effects on people’s quality of life, including an impact on movement, causing tremor, slowness and stiffness. There is currently no cure, and as the condition progresses, standard treatments can become less effective at controlling symptoms, leaving people with ‘motor fluctuations’: unpredictable swings between good and poor symptom control throughout the day.
“This international Phase 3 study, which has recruited 341 participants across the US, Europe, the UK and Australia, aims to show whether solengepras (CVN424) could potentially improve those motor fluctuations, helping people control their symptoms more efficiently. We are extremely proud that King’s was the highest recruiting site for the ARISE study in the UK, one of a number of trials behind our reaccreditation as a Parkinson’s Foundation Centre of Excellence.
“We are grateful to everyone who gave up their time to be part of this research, and to the research team at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) King’s Clinical Research Facility at King’s who helped make this possible.”
The trial represents another important step in the search for innovative therapies that could improve daily life for people living with Parkinson’s Disease. King’s College Hospital has played a leading role in the study, becoming the highest recruiting UK site and reinforcing its status as a recognised centre of excellence for Parkinson’s research and care.
Results from the ARISE Phase 3 study are expected later this year and could provide valuable insights into a potential new treatment option for patients experiencing motor complications associated with Parkinson’s Disease.
Image credit: iStock
