Depomed Initiates Phase I Trial for DM-1992 Program in Parkinson’s Disease Following Positive Results of Preclinical Studies Sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation

CentralDaily.com / Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2009

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Depomed, Inc. (NASDAQ/DEPO) today announced that it has dosed the first patient in a Phase I trial for its DM-1992 program in Parkinson’s disease based on positive results from preclinical studies sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. DM-1992 is an investigative novel gastric retentive extended-release dosage form of Levodopa/Carbidopa, a marketed therapy used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

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Family History Of Melanoma Linked To Parkinson’s Disease

ScienceDaily / Feb. 16, 2009

People with a family history of melanoma may have a greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.  The study involved nearly 157,000 people who did not have Parkinson’s disease. They were asked if their parents or siblings had been diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Researchers then traced their progress for a period of 14 to 20 years. During that time, 616 of the people were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

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Technology Brings Us Closer To Early Diagnosis Of Parkinson’s Disease

Medical News Today / Article Date: 16 Feb 2009 – 2:00 PST

It is estimated that 4 million people world-wide are suffering from Parkinson’s, a complex disease that varies greatly among affected individuals. Understanding the brain chemistry that leads to the onset of Parkinson’s is vital if we are to develop methods for early MRI diagnosis and new treatments for this devastating disease. Speaking at the AAAS Meeting in Chicago, Dr Joanna Collingwood, from Keele University, presented new results from studies carried out, in collaboration with Dr Mark Davidson from the University of Florida (UF), at Diamond – the UK’s national synchrotron.

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Groundbreaking Paper Publishes Long Term Results of a Successful Phase I Clinical Trial Using Autologous Neural Stem Cells to Treat Parkinson’s Disease

Yahoo Finance / Monday February 16, 2009, 9:11 am EST

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire/ — Scientists announced today the publication of a landmark peer-reviewed paper in the February issue of the Bentham Open Stem Cell Journal which outlines the long term results of the world’s first clinical trial using autologous neural stem cells for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. According to lead author, Michel F. Levesque, MD, FRCS©, FACS, “We have documented the first successful adult neural stem cell transplantation to reverse the effects of Parkinson’s disease and demonstrated the long term safety and therapeutic effects of this approach.” Dr Levesque is a principal investigator for NeuroGeneration, a biotechnology company, and is affiliated with the UCLA School of Medicine and the Brain Research Institute.<.p>

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