Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that has been hard for both patients and doctors to cope with for a long time because it gets worse over time and is hard to manage. Parkinson’s affects millions of people around the world, but one major problem for those who have it is that they need to take multiple doses of oral medication every day. But a new treatment that has made a big difference could change all of that and give patients a new way to live. Researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) have come up with a long-acting injectable treatment that could make caring for people with Parkinson’s disease much easier by cutting down on the need for daily pills.
An Overview of Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, and it affects more than 10 million people around the world. The disease usually starts after age 50 and can cause a variety of symptoms, including tremors, stiff muscles, slow movement, problems with balance and gait, and memory loss. Parkinson’s disease happens when nerve cells in the brain, especially in the substantia nigra, don’t make enough dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is important for controlling movement.
Oral medications are the main way to control the disease’s progression right now. Levodopa (L-dopa) and carbidopa are the two most common ones. These drugs work well to control symptoms, but they have to be taken several times a day, which can be hard for older people or people who have trouble swallowing. Because the drug needs to be taken often, the levels of the drug can be inconsistent, which can cause more side effects and make the drug less effective.
The Breakthrough – A Weekly Injectable Solution
A group of researchers at the University of South Australia has come up with a weekly injectable formula that combines levodopa and carbidopa. This new long-acting injectable is meant to slowly release the drugs over seven days, which means you won’t have to take them every day as often. This injectable could help people with Parkinson’s disease get better by making the treatment process simpler, making drug levels more stable, and making people more likely to follow through with their treatment.
How the Injectable Works
Scientists at UniSA developed an injectable system that can be given under the skin or directly into muscle tissue. The formulation breaks down naturally and slowly releases both levodopa and carbidopa over the course of a week. This steady, controlled release makes sure that patients keep the same therapeutic drug levels without having to take multiple doses every day.
The injectable gel uses PLGA, a biodegradable polymer approved by the FDA, and Eudragit L-100, a polymer that alters with pH, to control and keep the drugs’ release going. Tests in the lab and on animals have shown that more than 90% of the levodopa dose and 81% of the carbidopa dose are released over seven days. The implant also breaks down within two weeks, so it doesn’t cause any serious harm.
Advantages of the New Injectable System
This injectable system promises to have a lot of benefits over traditional oral medication:
- Simplified Treatment: Patients are likely to find it easier to manage their treatment if they don’t have to take multiple doses. This could lead to better overall adherence and quality of life.
- Consistent Drug Levels: One of the best things about this is that it keeps therapeutic drug levels steady, which is not always the case with oral medications. These changes often make it harder to control symptoms and cause unwanted side effects.
- Less Side Effects: The steady release of the drug lowers the risk of side effects that come from changing drug levels. This makes the treatment safer and more effective.
- Convenience: A simpler course of action will help patients, especially older ones or those who have trouble swallowing, by making their lives easier and possibly cutting down on hospital visits.
More testing and clinical trials
The results of early studies and lab tests are encouraging, but more research and testing are needed before the injectable treatment can be used by a lot of people. To make sure the treatment is safe and works in people, clinical trials will be needed. Researchers at UniSA are now working on clinical trials and looking into ways to make money off the injectable formulation.
As the technology gets better, it might be able to be used to treat other long-term conditions that need long-term drug delivery, like cancer, diabetes, pain management, chronic infections, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Possible Problems and Worries
There are a lot of possible benefits to the weekly injectable, but there are also a lot of issues that need to be solved before it can be used regularly to treat Parkinson’s:
- Changing Symptoms: One worry that experts have is that changes in Parkinson’s symptoms could make it hard to figure out the right dose for the whole week. Patients may still need to take pills or use other treatments to control their symptoms in some cases.
- Reactions at the Injection Site: Like with many other injectable drugs, there is a chance of reactions at the injection site, like rash, pain, or lumps. But these problems are usually easy to deal with and shouldn’t be any greater than the benefits if the treatment is safe and works.
- Long-Term Effects: The early results are good, but we need to do more research to find out how safe and effective this treatment is over time. This includes keeping an eye out for any unexpected side effects and recognising how the drug works over time.
What Experts Think About the Injectable System
Top experts have shown interest in how this injectable system could work. According to Sneha Mantri, Chief Medical Officer for the Parkinson’s Foundation, if the drug is shown to be safe and effective for people, it could be a good replacement for the current method of taking several pills a day.
Jamie Adams, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medical Centre, also praised the potential of the weekly injectable. However, he said that more testing and randomised controlled trials are needed to make sure it is safe and works.
What Will Happen Next with Parkinson’s Treatment
This new way of treating Parkinson’s could be an enormous shift in how the disease is handled. If clinical trials show that this weekly injection is safe and works, it could make life a lot easier for people with Parkinson’s disease by reducing the number of symptoms they have to deal with every day.
Researchers are hopeful about the future of Parkinson’s treatment, but more research is needed before the injectable can be used by many people. The technology could also lead to other long-acting injectable treatments for chronic diseases, which would give millions of patients around the world hope.
Final Thoughts
The new weekly injection for Parkinson’s disease could change the way the disease is treated for good. It could make a big difference in the lives of people with Parkinson’s, especially older patients or those who struggle to swallow pills, by making the treatment plan simpler to follow and making sure that drug levels stay more stable. The research done by UniSA and its partners has shown a lot of promise, although the treatment is still in the early stages of development. Future clinical trials will show whether this novel strategy can change the way Parkinson’s is treated around the world.
