Waiting for Cogane

Cynicism, Depression, Hope and Parkinson's Disease

When you have had PD for a number of years, in my case 6 years since diagnosis, you start to lose enthusiasm when new possible treatments are announced, because you know how very long it is going to take for them to get through the approval process. You know how much time and money this can take. "Probably not soon enough for me" is what many PWP are thinking.

Ok, sign up for a clinical trial as many wonderful, hopeful patients do. I am grateful to them because without them, nothing beneficial would ever see the market. What I am talking about is a bit different because it is extra-clinical trial with no placebo control.

The FDA has a process for compassionate usage, but the patients often die before they get approval to use the drug. I'm thinking that as long as the Obama Administration is changing so many things in health care, they ought to have a kind of usage for new drug treatments that would allow the patient to sign off on bad outcomes and become human volunteers. After all if you have a disease that's robbing you of certain skills, many abilities, changing you and ultimately killing you; wouldn't you and many other people consider doing something to fight it rather than just feeling that you are waiting around to die.

Knowing that there are possible treatments like Cogane or GDNF sitting on drug company's or university's shelves as the pins fall into place for the next phase of clinical trieals makes it harder to keep on struggling against the disease that robs us of both our physical and mental well being as well as our dignity.

There are many potential treatments that might give one pause before backing away - if I could actually walk backwards well enough to avoid a fall - but there are some which compel our attention and respect.

ADDENDUM
On June 10th, 2010 Phytopharm announced that the FDA had approved the protocol for the phase II clinical trials for Cogane.  Enrollment will begin in late 2010.  It will be about 2 years for any results to be made public.
We'll be posting the enrollment information once it is announced.
You can read the Phytopharm press release here