Preclinical efficacy could see fast-tracking of liver drug to Parkinson’s disease clinical trials

Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), an agent already approved for use in the treatment of liver disease, has demonstrated potential efficacy in slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a preclinical study published recently in Neurology. The results of the investigation, which was carried out by investigators at the University of Sheffield and the University of York (both UK), support the potential fast-tracking of UDCA into human PD clinical trials. The genetic mechanisms responsible for the development of PD and its associated neurodegeneration are currently unclear, with the most common inherited genetic defect known to be mutation of the LRRK2 gene....