Researchers at Binghamton University in New York have developed a new drug that may limit the progression of Parkinson's disease while providing better symptom relief to potentially hundreds of thousands of people with the disease. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease are commonly managed using selective dopamine receptor agonists. While these drugs are useful in early-stage Parkinson's, they tend to lose efficacy in later disease stages. Equally important is the fact that currently marketed drugs do not appear to modify disease progression. A research team including Binghamton University psychology professor Chris Bishop, PhD, and former graduate student Dr. David Lindenbach recently employed a preclinical model of Parkinson's disease to compare the effects of the dopamine agonist ropinirole to their new drug, known as D-512. Results demonstrated that D-512 was more efficacious than ropinirole in treating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease while also prolonging the time window during which the animals showed benefits. These findings followed on the heels of prior work by this collaborative group which demonstrated that D-512 may also protect again the progression of Parkinson's disease. "A major issue for Parkinson's disease patients is the need to take multiple medications, multiple times per day.Login Or Register To Read Full Story