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Inexpensive Drug Effective in Early Parkinson's


THURSDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDayNews) -- An inexpensive drug called selegiline may be one of the best treatments during the early stages of Parkinson's disease, according to a study in the British Medical Journal.

Selegiline is one of a class of drugs called monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors (MAOBIs), which are used to slow the progression of Parkinson's. But the use of selegiline has declined since 1995, when a study linked it to high death rates.

However, the authors of this new study say this link between selegiline and high death rates was likely a chance finding, and the drug could be among the most effective and inexpensive ways to treat early Parkinson's disease.

The researchers based their conclusion on a review of 17 trials comparing MAOBIs with a placebo or another commonly used Parkinson's drug called levodopa. They found that MAOBIs reduced disability and problems with movement, and the need for levodopa, without substantial side effects or increased risk of death.

Further, large-scale, long-term trials comparing selegiline with other drugs and assessing Parkinson's disease patients' quality of life measures need to be done, the authors wrote.