Results from the phase 3 trial of exenatide shared with participants

The findings were discussed with people who took part in the trial in a webinar led by Chief Investigator Professor Tom Foltynie on Monday 14 October.

The results have been submitted to be published in a scientific journal and should be available before the end of the year.

What is exenatide?

Exenatide (also known as Bydureon) is a type 2 diabetes drug which has previously shown promise in both lab studies and early-stage trials for slowing the progression of Parkinson’s. 

Exenatide comes from a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Other GLP-1 receptor agonists have also been tested in people with Parkinson’s and shown signs of promise.

What is the Exenatide-PD3 study?

The phase 3 Exenatide-PD3 study is a UK-wide clinical trial that evaluated whether exenatide may slow the progression of Parkinson’s. 

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), 194 individuals with Parkinson’s took part in the 96-week trial.

Find out more about the trial on the University College website.

Does this mean diabetes drugs don’t work for Parkinson’s?

This is really disappointing news to everyone in the Parkinson’s community and especially to the participants in this trial who have contributed so much.

It’s too soon to say what this means for wider research into the potential of diabetes drugs for Parkinson’s.

Once the paper is published we will be better able to fully discuss, reflect upon and learn from the findings together.

While the results from this trial are disappointing, overall there is a huge amount of exciting research happening in Parkinson’s and many other interesting and hopeful new treatment approaches being developed and tested.

We are working closely with colleagues from Cure Parkinson’s to ensure that we provide clear and consistent information about exenatide to the community. If you have any questions or need support please contact us at [email protected].