Active clinical trials for "Parkinson Disease"

In the course of their disease, most patients with Parkinson's Disease (PD) face mounting mobility deficits, including difficulties with walking, balance, posture and transfers. This frequently leads to (fear of) falls, injuries, loss of independence, and inactivity which causes social isolation and increases the risk of osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease. These mobility deficits are difficult to treat with drugs and neurosurgery. However, physiotherapy is deemed effective in improving mobility deficits in PD. Physiotherapy is widely prescribed for this purpose in the Netherlands. Yet, the efficiency of current "usual care" physiotherapy can be questioned, for two reasons. First, the referral process seems inadequate because patients are mainly referred by neurologists who often lack insight into the (im-)possibilities of physiotherapy for PD. Consequently, patients with a real need for physiotherapy are not always referred (undertreatment), whereas others without a real need are (overtreatment). Furthermore, most therapists treating PD patients are not specifically trained in treating these patients. This is not surprising because average therapists rarely treat more than two patients per year in their practice. Therefore, patients who are being referred probably receive suboptimal treatment. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether the efficiency of physiotherapeutic care for patients with Parkinson's disease can be improved, at a reduced cost, by targeting two key elements of the current care system: a) inadequate referral by neurologists; b) suboptimal treatment by physiotherapists. We expect that optimal referral combined with expert treatment will increase the efficiency, as reflected by increased health benefits for patients at equal or reduced costs'.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the US, affecting nearly 1 million Americans. Up to 82% of community dwelling individuals with PD complain of sleep disturbances, typically sleep fragmentation. Despite the high prevalence of sleep problems and their impact on the life of these individuals, there has been, until recently, little research focus on the problem. This will be a multi-site, double blind, placebo-controlled, two arm, parallel group, fixed-dose trial which will last 6 weeks. Seventy patients at four sites (30 at the PI's site and a total of 40 patients at three external sites) will be equally randomized to eszopiclone or placebo. The primary hypothesis is that eszopiclone will be superior to placebo for the treatment of insomnia in patients with Parkinson's disease

This study was designed to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of a new prolonged release formulation of ropinirole with the currently marketed immediate release formulation which is prescribed in many countries. The new prolonged release formulation allows the drug to be taken once a day rather than three times a day. This study will also evaluate the side effects of the new prolonged release formulation of ropinirole

This is a multicenter, 6 months open label safety extension study for all patients who are willing and eligible to continue from the pivotal, double-blind S308.3.003 trial

A conversion study of Mirapex (pramipexole) to Requip (ropinirole) controlled release (CR) in patients with Parkinson's disease to determine the appropriate conversion ratio and side effects related to the drug.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with pramipexole tablets (BI Sifrol®) in Parkinson's disease (phase III study).

This study evaluates how effective a new formulation of a marketed drug is in increasing the time to onset of dyskinesia (abnormal twisting, writhing movements) in patients with Parkinson's Disease who have been taking levodopa for less than 2 years.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the usefulness of memantine, compared to placebo (sugar pill), for the treatment of cognitive impairment in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia. Memantine is used as a safe and effective treatment for patients with Alzheimer's disease. Cognitive impairment includes concentration and memory difficulties. We will look at how well this medication helps your cognitive impairment, how well you tolerate this medication (including its effects on your motor symptoms of PD) your activities of daily living, your emotions, and any medical conditions you might have. We will interview a person you choose as your "informant".

Entacapone is an antiparkinsonian drug which block L-dopa metabolism, inhibiting the C-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme. There is an individual variability of the COMT activity determined by a genetic polymorphism. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the genetic variability influences entacapone efficacy in Parkinson's disease.

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of administration of AFQ056 in combination with L-dopa, in reducing the number of L-dopa related dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease patients.