Parkinson’s treatment: Japanese drugmaker Sumitomo Pharma has applied to regulators seeking approval to manufacture and market a new treatment for advanced Parkinson’s disease that involves transplanting stem cells into the brain.
The application comes on the heels of a clinical trial conducted in collaboration with researchers at Kyoto University, which found the treatment to be both safe and effective in easing symptoms of Parkinson’s. The therapy uses induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are adult cells changed back to a state similar to embryonic cells and then directed to turn into dopamine-producing neurones, the brain cells that break down in people with Parkinson’s.
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In the trial, seven individuals aged 50 to 69 received transplants of either five million or ten million of these cells, injected into both sides of the brain. After two years of monitoring, no major side effects were reported, and four of the patients showed improvements in their condition. The findings were published in the journal Nature earlier this year.
Sumitomo’s announcement marks a significant development in the search for more effective Parkinson’s treatments. While current medications can help control symptoms, they do not halt the disease’s progression. Stem cell therapy offers the potential not just to manage the condition but to actually restore lost function.
The company is also running a parallel clinical trial in the United States as interest in regenerative medicine grows worldwide.
Parkinson’s disease affects nearly 10 million people globally and remains one of the most challenging neurodegenerative disorders to treat.
