Have you volunteered for Parkinson’s research projects, including drug trials? I’ve done this many times, starting shortly after I was diagnosed and continuing up to the present. It’s a win-win situation on four fronts:
- Researchers desperately need to find enough volunteers to proceed with their investigation.
- You may be able to test effective medications before they’re available to the general public.
- You inevitably learn things you didn’t know about some aspect of PD.
- The Parkinson’s community at large benefits as science moves forward.
And a fifth point: all the researchers I’ve worked with have been friendly, pleasant people. It’s a joy to participate.
I’m posting this blog now because I’ve partnered with Antidote to help identify participants for a Phase 3 drug trial. In a Phase 3 trial, the medication has already showed promise in the first two phases, with favorable improvement in Parkinson’s symptoms. It’s the final stage before offering the medicine to the entire community.
This trial is researching whether a lower-dose, combination version of two existing Parkinson’s treatments is as effective with fewer side effects. This trial does not use a placebo and requires just 7 short visits.
Interested? I hope so! You may qualify to take part if you:
- Have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s for three years or less
- Haven’t started Parkinson’s medications yet, or haven’t taken them for longer than four weeks
- Are between the ages of 35 and 80
- Live in the USA
Answer a few questions to see if you may qualify. If you meet all the criteria, the research team will contact you to explain the project further and answer your own questions. I can’t stress enough how important it is for people with Parkinson’s to donate their time for projects like this. You can read about my early days as a research volunteer by clicking on this article about me on the Michael J. Fox Foundation website: Clinical Trial Participant Uses His Story in the Classroom
I participated in a drug trial when I was first diagnosed over 5 years ago. It was for Prothena and involved infusions of a drug they hoped would slow the progression of PD. I have no idea whether I received the drug or a placebo and will never know. Because my progression of symptoms has been very slow, I may have gotten the good stuff. OR…my gym workouts are paying off. 🙂
I have been contacted about other trials, but didn’t qualify for one reason or another. I complete an online survey every 90 days and will continue to do this.