Alzheimer's and Parkinson's charities identify new ways to reuse current drugs

Scientists are to examine whether drugs that are already in use could be repurposed to treat the symptoms of both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's in a new collaboration which aims to discover novel treatments at pace.
Experts say that by repurposing drugs, they can 'increase the shots on target' at tackling the diseases.
This method of drug development could also reduce the time patients are left waiting for new treatments by up to 10 years, they added.
It comes after the NHS spending watchdog rejected the use of new Alzheimer's drugs lecanemab and donanemab for widespread use in the health service.
The drugs were approved for use in the UK last year by the UK's medicines regulator but the NHS spending watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), said they could not be used in the NHS because the benefits are 'too small' to justify the cost.
Now charities Cure Parkinson's and Alzheimer's Research UK have joined forces to find current drugs that may tackle some of the common biology behind both diseases.
https://x.com/AlzResearchUK/status/1929856926885539966/photo/2
After presentations to the International Linked Clinical Trials (iLCT), which was set up by Cure Parkinson's over a decade ago, experts from both fields will select the most promising drugs for both Parkinson's and dementia, so they can be moved quickly into clinical trials.
Weight loss jabs are already being investigated for their effectiveness in treating symptoms of both diseases and experts hope to uncover more drugs that can have multiple uses.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient for weight loss and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, is being examined in clinical trials to see whether it can help patients with Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's.
Trial results for the Alzheimer's trial are expected to be published later this year.
Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, told the PA news agency that the iLCT project had already been 'hugely successful' with people who have Parkinson's, adding: 'Around 30% of disease modifying therapies that are in clinical trials for Parkinson's disease came through this process.
'What we wanted to do is to build on their knowledge and experience and expertise in order to be able to bring a process similar to that to Alzheimer's disease.'
Dr Scales said that there are some 'common grounds' between Parkinson's and Alzheimer's – both are neurodegenerative diseases and have some 'common biological processes' – such as inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction and 'protein misfolding' – which could be targets for repurposed drugs.
'Getting multiple drugs that are targeting the disease is really important to us,' she said.
'Testing different types of drugs and getting as many shots on target is important.'
She said: 'Repurposed drugs have already been demonstrated to be safe for use in humans development of new drugs for different diseases is a long process.
'What essentially bringing repurposed drugs does, is help to accelerate the drug development pipeline – it could save between five and 10 years within that process, compared to taking a new drug through clinical trials for the very first time.'
Helen Matthews, chief executive of Cure Parkinson's, said the iLCT was originally set up to identify drugs that can potentially 'slow down, stop or reverse Parkinson's'.
She added: 'It was through this programme that we realised that there were so many drugs that were also being looked at in the dementia field and there were commonalities there in terms of the drugs looking to reduce inflammation, or whatever it might be, there were specific pathways that those drugs were working on that could be beneficial for both disease areas.
'So given that we were already doing the (work) every year, it made sense to join forces in this way, just to add efficiencies.
'Because if you're looking at the same drugs, we'll only do that digging once, you know, only do that compilation of the dossiers once, so that you can actually take the learning for both diseases and then actually look and see which might be beneficial.'
She said that the 'sharing of knowledge and digging' could also be shared with other disease areas, such as MS.
And on lecanemab and donanemab, Dr Scales added: '(These) were the first disease-targeting therapies that have been licensed in the UK, but obviously are not available on the NHS at the moment.
'They showed for the very first time that we were able to alter the course of the disease.
'And what we're looking forward to now is what the next generation of treatments can bring us and how we can target different parts of the disease.'
Dr Lucy Devendra, head of research at Alzheimer's Society, said: 'Repurposing medicines which are already known to be safe can help us find new treatments for the diseases that cause dementia much quicker.
'Although it is still early days, it's encouraging to see a renewed focus on this type of research and development.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mail​

24 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Every newborn baby in the UK will have DNA screening in NHS 'revolution' to battle killer diseases, Wes Streeting reveals

Every newborn baby in the UK will have a DNA screening as part of an NHS 'revolution' to battle killer diseases. The health secretary Wes Streeting said new technology in areas such as genomics would help 'leapfrog' illnesses. The Government is set to pour £650 million into DNA technology in an effort to treat serious illnesses before they become a problem. The investment in genomics is expected to support the Government's 10-year plan for the NHS, which will see a greater focus on technology and prevention. Mr Streeting told The Telegraph: 'The revolution in medical science means that we can transform the NHS over the coming decade, from a service which diagnoses and treats ill health to one that predicts and prevents it. 'Genomics presents us with the opportunity to leapfrog disease, so we're in front of it rather than reacting to it.' Mr Streeting has previously spoken about his desire to make the NHS more preventative, reducing rates of serious illness and saving money in the process. The plan is also likely to see a greater role for artificial intelligence and other technologies to predict illness and allow treatment or medication to be offered much earlier. Mr Streeting has previously spoken about his desire to make the NHS more preventative, reducing rates of serious illness and saving money in the process. The plan is also likely to see a greater role for artificial intelligence and other technologies to predict illness and allow treatment or medication to be offered much earlier. He added: 'With the power of this new technology, patients will be able to receive personalised healthcare to prevent ill health before symptoms begin, reducing the pressure on NHS services and helping people live longer, healthier lives.' Along with a greater focus on prevention, the Government's 10-year plan is expected to include Mr Streeting's two other 'shifts' in the NHS. That will see a shift away from hospitals towards more community-focused care, and from analogue to digital services. It follows Chancellor Rachel Reeves' announcement that the Government would increase NHS funding by £29 billion per year in real terms over the next three years as it tries to cut waiting lists in line with its election promises.

The Independent

32 minutes ago

• The Independent

Weight loss jab could be used to treat migraines

Weight loss jabs could cut the number of migraines sufferers experience by half, research suggests. The drugs, similar to Ozempic and Wegovy, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by mimicking the natural hormone which regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion. Researchers have discovered, GLP-1 drug liraglutide, commonly used to treat diabetes, has the potential to significantly reduce migraine frequency. Migraines affect approximately 6 million people in the UK, according to the NHS. Attacks can last for three days causing pain, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and sensitivity to light, sound and smells. Researchers at the Headache Centre of the University of Naples gave 26 adults with obesity and chronic migraines the drug liraglutide. The study presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025, found those who had the drug reported an average of 11 fewer headache days per month. Participants also experienced meaningful improvements in quality of life, work, study, and social functioning within just two weeks of taking the drug. 'Most patients felt better within the first two weeks and reported quality of life improved significantly', said lead researcher Dr Simone Braca. 'The benefit lasted for the full three-month observation period, even though weight loss was modest and statistically non-significant.' Growing evidence has linked subtle increases in intracranial pressure to migraine attacks. It's caused by a rise in the pressure of cerebrospinal fluid – which surrounds the brain and spinal cord. This increase in pressure can happen because of a severe head injury, stroke, a brain tumour or high blood pressure. But GLP-1-receptor agonists such as liraglutide reduce cerebrospinal fluid secretion and have already proved effective in treating idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). Patients in the study were screened to exclude papilledema (optic disc swelling resulting from increased intracranial pressure) and sixth nerve palsy, ruling out IIH. Dr Braca and colleagues believe GLP-1 drugs may reduce the release of CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide), a key molecule behind migraines. 'We think that, by modulating cerebrospinal fluid pressure and reducing intracranial venous sinuses compression, these drugs produce a decrease in the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a key migraine-promoting peptide', Dr Braca said. 'That would pose intracranial pressure control as a brand-new, pharmacologically targetable pathway.' Given liraglutide's established use in type 2 diabetes and obesity, it may represent a promising case of drug repurposing in neurology, study authors said.

The Guardian

an hour ago

• The Guardian

All babies in England to get DNA test to assess risk of diseases within 10 years

Every baby in England is to have a DNA screening to avoid fatal diseases and receive personalised healthcare as part of the government's £650m investment in DNA technology, it has been reported. Within a decade, every newborn will undergo whole genome sequencing, which assesses the risk of hundreds of diseases and is expected to form part of the government's 10-year plan for the health service. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, told the Telegraph the advances in genomics would allow people to 'leapfrog' killer illnesses and receive 'personalised' health care. He said: 'The revolution in medical science means that we can transform the NHS over the coming decade, from a service which diagnoses and treats ill health to one that predicts and prevents it. 'Genomics presents us with the opportunity to leapfrog disease, so we're in front of it rather than reacting to it.' Streeting added: 'With the power of this new technology, patients will be able to receive personalised healthcare to prevent ill health before symptoms begin, reducing the pressure on NHS services and helping people live longer, healthier lives.' All new parents are now offered a blood spot test for their babies, normally when the child is five days old, to check whether they have any of nine rare but serious conditions. The newborn's heel is pricked to collect a few drops of blood on a card that is sent away to be tested. Along with a greater focus on prevention, the 10-year plan is expected to include Streeting's other 'shifts' in the NHS, from hospitals towards more community-focused care and from analogue to digital services. Last week the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, announced that the government would increase NHS funding by £29bn a year in real terms over the next three years. A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'Our 10-year health plan will be published soon and will set out details for a range of initiatives to advance the NHS and make it fit for the future.' In October, the NHS in England announced it was to screen 100,000 newborn babies for more than 200 genetic conditions in a world-first scheme aimed at bolstering early diagnosis and treatment.