Ketamine Could Help Treat Parkinson's Disease, Study Finds

PharmaTher Holdings Ltd. PHRRF announced positive results from a clinical study of ketamine for the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

The study, called KET-LID, evaluated the safety, tolerability and efficacy of low-dose ketamine infusion for the treatment of LID in patients with Parkinson’s disease. According to PharmaTher, data from the study showed that all of the patients treated with ketamine exhibited a reduction in dyskinesias. It also demonstrated that ketamine was well tolerated with no serious adverse events reported—all adverse events were mild or moderate and reflected the expected side-effects of ketamine administration.

This study supports previous findings regarding the positive impact of ketamine in reducing LID. Full results are expected to be submitted for presentation at a medical congress by June 2022.

“The results of this clinical study further support that ketamine is well-tolerated even in an older population of patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Scott Sherman, principal investigator of the study. 

“This opens the door to a fast-track development of a novel non-surgical treatment for levodopa-induced dyskinesia that will fill a major gap in the existing therapeutic arsenal.” 

Fabio Chianelli, CEO of PharmaTher, expressed his joy at the findings of the study: “It gives us further confidence that ketamine can safely and effectively reduce LID in patients with Parkinson’s disease and it paves the way for a potential Phase III clinical study.”

The company plans to use its proprietary ketamine intravenous product, Ketarx, for the planned Phase III clinical study, one of the milestones PharmaTher had previously announced for 2022.

Parkinson’s disease affects over 1 million people in the U.S. and more than 7 million people worldwide. According to information provided by the company, the global Parkinson’s disease market is expected to grow up to USD $7.5 billion by the end of 2025 and it is estimated that the potential market opportunity for LID Parkinson’s disease to be over USD $3 billion in the U.S.

Ketamine is widely used as an anesthetic agent either alone or in combination with other substances. Its possible therapeutic effect on LID was noted in a retrospective analysis of Parkinson’s disease patients who received ketamine for pain relief. During this analysis, it was observed that the patients experienced an improvement in LID lasting several weeks beyond treatment. The drug may also have additional benefits in treating depression, a frequent comorbidity of Parkinson’s disease.

Photo: Courtesy of Louis Reed on Unsplash.