Pfizer launches new biopharmaceutical company to develop Parkinson’s drugs

News

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 7 November 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Pharmaceutical company Pfizer has teamed with investment firm Bain Capital to launch Cerevel Therapeutics – a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs for Parkinson’s and other central nervous system conditions.

The new company – which will receive US $350 million of investment from Bain Capital – will begin working on phase three clinical trials on a Parkinson’s drug designed to increase levels of dopamine in the brain. Cerevel will also continue to develop several of Pfizer’s drug programmes which closed earlier this year.

Marco Baptista, director of research programmes at The Michael J Fox Foundation – which has partnered with Pfizer since 2010 – said: “This is welcome news for Parkinson’s patients and researchers. Pfizer had developed a diverse group of novel therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease, which are now going to get another chance at success. MJFF looks forward to partnering with Cerevel to support the advancement of these promising programs.”

To read more on this topic click here.

For more information on Parkinson’s treatments please visit the EPDA website

New smart glasses could track Parkinson’s symptoms

Last Month

Next Month

Go Back

Share this story

Comments

Interviews

Paint relief: “The joy of painting outshines my Parkinson’s symptoms”

Self-taught artist Walter Reynecke on how painting calms his condition

6 more world-class wildlife stills from a photographer with Parkinson’s

David Plummer shares more of his top photographs of wildlife in action

VIDEO: Watch Parkinson’s patient walk again after hearing favourite song

Viral video shows 73-year-old patient walk with help of song

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Researchers from the Netherlands have found a link between tremor symptoms and how dopaminergic medication impacts learning abilities in Parkinson’s disease. Many people with Parkinson’s become sensitive to learning through rewards due to a decrease in dopamine in the brain. As part of a new study – published in the scientific journal Brain –researchers assessed 43 tremor-dominant and 20 non-tremor dominant people with Parkinson’s while they were on and off dopaminergic medication. The results showed that in people with Parkinson’s who do not experience tremor, dopaminergic medication improves the ability to learn from rewards – and in those with tremor, the medication has no impact on reward learning. Rick Helmich, co-author of the study and a neurologist at Radboud University Medical Centre, the Netherlands, said: “Whether someone experiences tremor or not might therefore potentially have a significant predictive value regarding the effectiveness of medication in the cognitive domain. However, more…

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

A study by scientists in Sweden has suggested that women who eat a ‘Mediterranean diet’ at middle age could have a lower risk of Parkinson’s later in life. The report, published in the Movement Disorders journal, used dietary information from more than 47,000 women aged 29 to 49, recorded between the early 1990s and 2012. They looked at how closely the women adhered to a Mediterranean dietary pattern (MDP), which is high in foods such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, unsaturated fats and legumes. They then compared the information with data from the Swedish National Patient Register to find out whether participants had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The researchers found that those with a high adherence to the diet had a 46% lower risk of being diagnosed with the condition compared to those with a low adherence, concluding that “higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet at middle age was associated with…

Pesticide that increases Parkinson’s risk by 150% reapproved in the US

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has allowed the continued use of paraquat, a pesticide that increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 150%. The pesticide – which has already been banned in 32 countries – was reapproved by the EPA in October as part of a review of the safety of all herbicides and pesticides in the US, a process which takes place every 15 years. Many studies have shown that as well as increased risk of Parkinson’s disease, exposure to the pesticide is associated with other health issues and risk of death. Exposure to paraquat endangers both the farmers who use the pesticide, as well as the families who can be exposed to it through the air or transfers onto clothing or other materials. In response to the reapproval, the Michael J Fox Foundation is calling on the Parkinson’s community to ask senators and representatives to support a…

All fields required

First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Country of residence*
About me*
- I have Parkinson's disease
- I am a partner / carer / family / friend of someone who has Parkinson's
- I am a healthcare professional with an interest in Parkinson's
- I work for a Parkinson's disease organisation
- Other
CAPTCHA
*
- By proceeding you agree to our
Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Pfizer launches new biopharmaceutical company to develop Parkinson’s drugs

News

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 7 November 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Interviews

Paint relief: “The joy of painting outshines my Parkinson’s symptoms”

Perspectives

6 more world-class wildlife stills from a photographer with Parkinson’s

Perspectives

VIDEO: Watch Parkinson’s patient walk again after hearing favourite song

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

Pesticide that increases Parkinson’s risk by 150% reapproved in the US

{title}

Subscribe

Pfizer launches new biopharmaceutical company to develop Parkinson’s drugs

News

Author: Simge Eva DoganPublished: 7 November 2018

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Related articles

Interviews

Paint relief: “The joy of painting outshines my Parkinson’s symptoms”

Perspectives

6 more world-class wildlife stills from a photographer with Parkinson’s

Perspectives

VIDEO: Watch Parkinson’s patient walk again after hearing favourite song

Can tremor predict the effect of Parkinson’s disease medication?

Could a ‘Mediterranean diet’ lower the risk of Parkinson’s for women?

Pesticide that increases Parkinson’s risk by 150% reapproved in the US

{title}

Subscribe

Sign in