AZ's Bydureon improves motor function in Phase II for PD

Data published in The Lancet showed that diabetes drug Bydureon exenatide from AstraZeneca plc (LSE:AZN; NYSE:AZN) met the primary endpoint in the Phase II EXENATIDE-PD trial to treat moderate Parkinson’s disease. In the 60-patient trial, once-weekly 2 mg subcutaneous Bydureon for 48 weeks followed by a 12-week washout period significantly improved Movement Disorders Society Unified PD Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part 3 motor subscale score in the off-medication state at week 60 vs. placebo (improvement of 1 point vs. a decline of 2.1 points, p=0.0318).

The double-blind, U.K. trial was funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research and led by University College London. The researchers said “the next step will be a longer-term study with more participants” to evaluate Bydureon's effect on quality of life (QOL)...