Perspectives: Biologics Are Expensive Because They’re Tricky To Make. But Don’t Write Off Generic Versions Of Them Yet. – Kaiser Health News

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• The road ahead: 2020 January 5, 2020 Here at the SoPD, we are primarily interested in disease modification for Parkinson’s. While there is a great deal of interesting research exploring the causes of the condition, novel symptomatic therapies, and other aspects of Parkinson’s, my focus is generally on the science seeking to slow, stop or reverse the condition. At the start of each year, it is a…
• A plutocratic proposal: iCancer February 2, 2020    Speeding up the clinical development process is a shared goal across many medical conditions (not just Parkinson’s and neurodegeneration), and there are many different approaches to achieving this that are being explored. Some of these approaches could be considered to be bordering on the unethical, but there are aspects of their structure and design that are still worthy of…
• Generic Vs. Name Brand Medications April 5, 2019 I have had a few inquires about the difference between name brand Parkinson’s medicaitons and their Generic form recently, so I thought it would be a good time to repost my blog about my experience.  Enjoy! This last week, I had a ton of medication fluctuations… ok, maybe not a ton, but the inconsistencies were annoying. I tried to go…
• Parkinson’s Disease & Risk of Cancer February 12, 2019 Parkinson’s disease and cancer: what’s the connection? Researchers have long tried to understand the relationship between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and cancer, with multiple studies conducted over the years. Intuitively, PD and cancer are not at all similar, and can even be thought of as biochemically opposite – in one disease (PD), cells die unexpectedly and in the other (cancer), cells…
• Parkinson's Disease News - Editor's Picks (Archive 2016.09) October 15, 2016 Newsfeed: PD News PD Research News PD Fitness News PD Boxing News PD Web Articles PD Blogs PD Editor's Picks PD Twitter Newsfeed ‘The Terrorist Inside My Husband’s Brain’: Robin Williams’ Widow Details His Disease – Live ScienceLive Science'The Terrorist Inside My Husband's Brain': Robin Williams' Widow Details His DiseaseLive ScienceBut Robin Williams was not diagnosed with Lewy body disease…
• Differentiating PD from MSA February 20, 2020   There is a lot of clinical and biological similarities between the neurodegenerative conditions of Parkinson’s and multiple systems atrophy (or MSA). Recently, however, researchers have published a report suggesting that these two conditions may be differentiated from each other using a technique analysing protein in the cerebrospinal fluid – the liquid surrounding the brain, that can be accessed via…
• Parkinson’s Awareness Month is a time to look outward, not inward March 30, 2019 Who decides which disease or cause can lay claim to a month as an awareness month? I’m just curious, because we’re about to enter April, which for some reason is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. It's not that I don't believe that PD deserves an awareness month. My issue is that I feel like a hypocrite. I am so aware of…
• 2019: Year in review December 31, 2019   In this end-of-year post, we review the Parkinson’s research that caught our attention at SoPD HQ in 2019. Month-by-month we will briefly discuss some of the major pieces of research/announcements that have defined the year and advanced our understanding of Parkinson’s. The list is based on nothing more than the author’s personal opinion – apologies to any researchers who…
• Formularies, Insurance, and Parkinson’s  September 11, 2020 Navigating health insurance is challenging even for people in the best of health, but when you need a variety of medications to treat your motor and non-motor Parkinson’s symptoms, it can feel even more overwhelming. Having a basic understanding of how insurance companies cover prescription medications, though, can help you get the care you need. Here, we’ll explore how formularies work, and we’ll share information about how your medications are covered, how you can make the most out…
• Carbidopa Reduced Tumor Growth in Lab Studies of Cancer October 6, 2017 Carbidopa, a medicine approved for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, also has shown anti-cancer effects in lab-grown human cells and mice, according to the results of a new study. The findings help explain why cancer incidence usually is lower in Parkinson’s patients — with the exception of skin cancer — and suggest that carbidopa may be explored further as an anticancer…
• Monthy research review – December 2019 December 30, 2019   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during December 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• Parkinson's Disease News - Editor's Picks (Archive 2016.07) September 30, 2016 Newsfeed: PD News PD Research News PD Fitness News PD Boxing News PD Web Articles PD Blogs PD Editor's Picks PD Twitter Newsfeed Pedaling for Parkinson’sThat is what it’s like living with Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a chronic, neurodegenerative disorder in which the loss of cells in various parts of the brain leaves people less able to control their…
• How to Use Expressive Writing to Live Well with Parkinson’s April 1, 2019 Expressive writing is a brief writing technique that helps people understand, manage and hopefully thrive during challenging times. It involves writing about troubling issues for 15-20 minutes a day for three or four days. (Detailed instructions on how to engage in expressive writing are at the end of this post.) In this way, expressive writing is much different than daily…
• 2020: Year in Review January 1, 2021 # # # # In this end-of-year post, we review the Parkinson’s research that caught our attention at SoPD HQ in 2020. Month-by-month we will briefly discuss some of the major pieces of research/ announcements that have defined the year and advanced our understanding of Parkinson’s. The list is based on nothing more than the author’s personal opinion – apologies…
• Bayer doubles down on Parkinson’s? December 10, 2020 # # # # News today of two biotech companies merging did not cause much of a ripple in the media, but the wider implications of the move are rather significant for Parkinson’s. Today it was announced that Brain Neurotherapy Bio (BNB) is going to merge with Asklepios Biopharmaceutical (aka AskBio). BNB are currently clinically testing a GDNF gene therapy…
• Treatment with Stalevo and Comtan Does Not Raise Prostate Cancer Risk, FDA Finds August 22, 2019 A review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that Parkinson’s patients treated with medications containing entacapone are at no increased risk of prostate cancer. As such, the agency stands by its current recommendations for the use of Stalevo (entacapone/carbidopa/levodopa) and Comtan (entacapone; brand name is Comtess elsewhere) to ease motor problems in Parkinson’s disease. The FDA review was conducted after the findings…
• Part 1 of 2017 PWR! (Parkinson Wellness Recovery) Retreat: Pictures With Great Memories July 23, 2017 “Just put one foot in front of the other.”  Austin Peck “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”  Henry Ford Introduction to Part 1: From May 28-June 3, >100 people came to Scottsdale, Arizona for the PWR! Retreat. The final tally had >50 people-with-Parkinson’s, more than 30 care partners and ~20 physical therapists/fitness professionals,…
• PD 101: Exercise, Medication, Nutrition & Lifestyle December 4, 2016 Since being diagnosed with PD in 2014, I've had the pleasure to meet individuals who have lived with Parkinson's for 10 to 20 years, and even longer. The common theme for living well with PD is regular exercise and staying active. PD may be a life sentence, but it is far from being a death sentence. Think of exercise as…
• Parkinson’s Disease Research: A Commentary from the Stands and the Playing Field May 11, 2017 “You can have a very bad end with Parkinson’s, but on the other hand, you can be like me, because I’m lucky. I’m not having a bad end.” Margo MacDonald “My age makes me think how valuable life is. How bad is something like Parkinson’s in relation to not having life at all?” Michael J. Fox Introduction: Last month, together…
• Neuroimmunology Experts Survey January 9, 2021 “What attracted me to immunology was that the whole thing seemed to revolve around a very simple experiment: take two different antibody molecules and compare their primary sequences. The secret of antibody diversity would emerge from that. Fortunately at the time I was sufficiently ignorant of the subject not to realize how naive I was being.”— César Milstein From Nobel Lecture…
• Monthly Research Review – August 2019 August 31, 2019   At the end of each month the SoPD writes a post which provides an overview of some of the major pieces of Parkinson’s-related research that were made available during August 2019. The post is divided into seven parts based on the type of research: Basic biology Disease mechanism Clinical research New clinical trials Clinical trial news Other news Review…
• The 2019 Linked Clinical Trials meeting October 16, 2019   Things were a bit quiet on the SoPD over the summer, but for good reasons. There was a short hiatus for a family break, but the rest of the time I was rather occupied with the day job. Tremendous efforts were being made at the Cure Parkinson’s Trust, as we were gearing up for our main event of the…