Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the drug isradipine, a calcium channel blocker often used to treat high blood pressure, as a potential new treatment for Parkinson disease (PD). The goal of the study is to determine whether the drug can slow the progression of the disease by keeping the brain’s dopamine-producing cells healthier for a longer period of time.
A Phase II evaluation of isradipine, which was conducted to determine the safety and appropriate dosage for the drug, was completed in 2012. The study was funded by a $2.1 million grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF), which also supported preclinical research into the effects of isradipine on Parkinson’s progression by D. James Surmeier, PhD, of Northwestern University.
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University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. “Phase III Clinical Trial to Evaluate Calcium Channel Blocker for Parkinson’s.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 30 September 2014.