Medical Breakthroughs: Slowing Parkinsonâ€™s

It's a pill with a lot of promise. The drug Riluzole is currently approved to treat people with Lou Gehrig's disease. Now researchers believe it could also help Parkinson's patients.<br><br>He

Thursday, January 6th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

It's a pill with a lot of promise. The drug Riluzole is currently approved to treat people with Lou Gehrig's disease. Now researchers believe it could also help Parkinson's patients.

He sometimes stumbles and trembles slightly, but Howard Hurt's hopes are high. The 72- year-old golf lover knows there's a chance his mild case of Parkinson's disease won't get worse. He's in a study involving the drug Riluzole.

Urologist Stephen Gollump says the drug inhibits the release of a brain substance called glutamate. "We think that by inhibiting the release of that substance, you can prevent certain types of damage to nerve cells," Gollump said. That's how the drug can delay Lou Gehrig's disease. It occurs when motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are destroyed.

Animal studies found Riluzole may work the same way in Parkinson's. It occurs when brain cells that produce the chemical Dopamine, which controls body movement. "I would be tickled pink at the end of this study, if it stopped me right where I am right now,â€ Hurst said.

If his condition stays the same, Hurst will still have a shaky grip, but it may put him back on course. Riluzole is currently being tested on patients as part of a two-year study. Side effects from the drug include toxicity to the liver.

For more information, contact:

Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Riluzole Parkinsonâ€™s Study Referral Service
(800) 220-8610
Web site located at http://www.rp-rorer.com/us/rprp/trials/trial-rilutek.htm