New evidence to support use of nilotinib in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease

A Phase I study has presented molecular evidence that the FDA-approved leukemia drug, nilotinib, may be capable of increasing brain dopamine levels and reducing toxic proteins linked to Parkinson’s disease progression and dementia with Lewy bodies. The results add further support to research first presented at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting 2015. The experienced team at Georgetown University Medical Center (DC, USA) tested nilotinib taken daily for 6 months at a dose of 150 or 300mg per day, much smaller than the standard dose given to patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (300–400mg twice daily). In total, 12 patients were...