GDNF News

In the News

Fighting for His Life, By Tom Polansek, SUN-TIMES NEWS GROUP, October 5, 2006, The Elgin Courier News
Continuing the Work on Parkinson’s Research, University of Kentucky News, Lexington, Ky, September 13, 2005 (Sept. 13, 2005)
Coalition of Grassroots Parkinson's Patients and Organizations, September 13, 2005

News and Articles on GDNF

News Articles on Autopsy Results and Kentucky lawsuit: July 2005

Case inspires Parkinson's crusade. BBC NEWS . July 19, 2005.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/bristol/4695567.stm

Parkinson's patients lose fight to regain drug. By Barbara Isaacs. Lexington Herald-Leader , July 12, 2005,

Ruling bars Parkinson's sufferers from experimental drug, The Associated Press State & Local Wire, July 12, 2005, State and Regional, Lexington, Ky.

Amgen's GDNF Shows Signs of Effectiveness, Los Angeles Times, Business Desk; Part C; Pg. 3., July 10, 2005 .

Parkinson's treatment works, but you can't have it, New Scientist, July 9, 2005, Pg. 18.

Parkinson's drug gains evidence; Autopsy in Britain reveals nerve regrowth from an experimental treatment withdrawn by its maker in the U.S. Jamie Talan. Newsday, July 7, 2005, Pg. A34.

Withdrawn experimental drug found to reverse Parkinson’s brain damage. Medical Research News, July 5, 2005. http://www.news-medical.net/?id=1149

Study Adds to Dispute Over Drug by Amgen. Denise Gellene. Los Angeles Times , July 2, 2005 Business Desk; Part C; Pg. 1.

Report stirs doubt on drug decision. Randolph E. Schmid. Ventura County Star (California), July 2, 2005, Pg. 1.

Drug reverses Parkinson's brain damage. Ian Sample. The Guardian (London), July 2, 2005, Guardian Home Pages, Pg. 10.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/health/story/0,7890,1519586,00.html

Drug find offers a glimmer of hope to Parkinson's sufferers Sam Lister. The Times (London), July 2, 2005, p.36.

Researchers: Parkinson’s drug was effective. Associated Press, July 2, 2005.[12/09; no longer online]

Renewed hope for Parkinson's patients. Innovations Report - University of Bristol. (UK) July 1, 2005. [12/09; no longer online]

Parkinson’s Drug Prompts Brain Cell Growth. Rowan Hooper. New Scientist . July 1, 2005.
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7619

More Sue for Access to Amgen Drug; Patients in the latest suit say they were promised the experimental Parkinson's medicine beyond the trial period. Denise Gellene. Los Angeles Times , June 23, 2005, Part C; Pg. 2.

New York Lawsuit: May - June 2005

No trial drug for them; Patients, including a Greenlawn man, are denied further use of Parkinson's treatment used in experiment. Jamie Talan. Newsday (New York), June 14, 2005, Pg. A34.

Judge rejects appeal for Amgen drug by clinical trial patients Erin McClam. The Associated Press State & Local Wire, June 9, 2005, Business News.

Judge rules for Amgen, denies experimental drug. Andrew Pollack. Ventura County Star (California), June 8, 2005, Business, Pg. 1.

Amgen caught in dispute over drug's safety, value. Tom Kisken. Ventura County Star (California), May 29, 2005, p.1.

Patients seek order against Amgen on Parkinson's drug. The Associated Press State & Local Wire, May 26, 2005, State and Regional, NEW YORK

Patients Need to Be Heard in Drug Research. (letter-to-editor). Perry Cohen. Los Angeles Times , May 8, 2005, Business Desk; Part C; Pg. 5.

Patients sue Amgen to get drug for Parkinson's. Allison Bruce. Ventura County Star (California), April 28, 2005, BUSINESS AND STOCKS; Pg. 1.

California; Patients Sue for Amgen Drug; Participants in a former study seek access to the Parkinson's medicine. Firm says it's too risky. Denise Gellene. Los Angeles Times , April 27, 2005, Business Desk; Part C; Pg.

The Controversy over the Trial Halt June 2004 - March 2005

Tales of the Tape: Drug Makers Pull Promising Medicines. Greg Groeller. Dow Jones News Service, March 11, 2005.

California; Amgen Drug Is Said to Work; A study says the trial Parkinson's treatment improved motor function, contradicting the company's research. Denise Gellene. Los Angeles Times , February 17, 2005, Business Desk; Part C; Pg. 2.

Researchers: Treatment Study Should Go On. University of Kentucky press release, Feb 17, 2005.
http://www.uky.edu/PR/News/050217_parkinsons_treatment.htm

Drug giant Amgen ends drug trial for Parkinson's disease. Linda B. Blackford. Lexington Herald-Leader , February 12, 2005.

Patients in Test Won't Get Drug, Amgen Decides. Andrew Pollack. The New York Times, February 12, 2005, Section C; Column 5; Business/Financial Desk; Pg. 1.
http://www.gdnf4parkinsons.org/NYTIMES2.html

Study subjects protest halt to drug that helps.By Karla Ward and Linda Blackford Lexington Herald-Leader, in The Augusta Chronicle, (Georgia), December 29, 2004, D01.

Patients plead with Amgen for Parkinson's drug, The International Herald Tribune, November 27, 2004. FINANCE; Pg. 12. [12/09; no longer online]

Many See Hope In Drug Pulled During Testing. Andrew Pollack. The New York Times, November 26, 2004, Section A; Business/Financial Desk; Pg. 1. [12/09; no longer online]

Give us back our miracle drug, Western Daily Press (UK). November 25, 2004, Health; Pg. 18.

Parkinson patients want experimental drug on market. Jamie Talan. Newsday, Nov. 21, 2004 [12/09; no longer online]

Drugs withdrawn for Parkinson's sufferer. Bath Chronicle (UK), November 17, 2004, News; Health; Pg. 3.

US giant halts 'life-changing' Parkinson's drug trials, Bristol Evening Post (UK), November 16, 2004, News; Health; Pg. 2.

Kentucky researchers offer possible reasons for Amgen drug-study differences. Karla Ward. Lexington Herald-Leader, June 29, 2004.

GDNF - University of Kentucky Study Shows Effectiveness Of Experimental Parkinson's Drug. Karla Ward.
Lexington Herald-Leader / Macon Telegraph , GA, June 4, 2004.

Journal Articles on the Research:

Trophic factor distribution predicts functional recovery in parkinsonian monkeys. Don M. Gash, PhD , Zhiming Zhang, MD , Yi Ai, MD , Richard Grondin, PhD, Robert Coffey, MD , Greg A. Gerhardt, PhD . Annals of Neurology. 2005 Aug. Vol.58 (2), pp.224-233.

Glial cell line−derived neurotrophic factor induces neuronal sprouting in human brain. Seth Love, Puneet Plaha, Nikunj K Patel, Gary R Hotton, David J Brooks^, Steven S Gill^. Nature / Medicine (2005), 11, 703-4.

Improvement of bilateral motor functions in patients with Parkinson disease through the unilateral intraputaminal infusion of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. Slevin JT; Gerhardt GA; Smith CD; Gash DM; Kryscio R; Young B. Journal of neurosurgery. 2005 Feb; Vol. 102 (2), pp. 216-22.

Intraputamenal infusion of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in PD: a two-year outcome study. Frenchay Hospital, Institute of Neurosciences, Bristol, United Kingdom . Patel NK; Bunnage M; Plaha P; Svendsen CN; Heywood P; Gill SS. Annals of neurology. 2005 Feb; Vol. 57 (2), pp.298-302.

Direct brain infusion of glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor in Parkinson disease. Steven S. Gill, Nikunj K. Patel, Gary R. Hotton, Karen O'Sullivan, Renée McCarter, Martin Bunnage, David J. Brooks, Clive N. Svendsen & Peter Heywood. Nature Medicine 9, 589 - 595 (2003) Published online: 31 March 2003.

Articles on Patients’ Rights in Clinical Trials:

“The hard way to a Bill of Rights.” (editorial) The Lancet Neurology. December 2005, Vol.4: p.787 Read full text of the editorial.

Patient choice in clinical trials. (editorial) Lancet; 6/11/2005, Vol. 365 Issue 9476, p1984.
"..This case highlights several important clinical issues, but chief among these is patient choice. Amgen reacted responsibly to potential safety risks of a treatment with uncertain benefit by stopping the trial. But in looking for a consistent effect among the population of participants, the company could not exclude the potential benefit of the therapy to some individuals. The fact that the case has ended up in the courts highlights the lack of a suitable mechanism through which evidence from individuals can be taken into account in decision-making about experimental treatments. The case also shows that although patient choice has become a mantra for health services, when it comes to setting the research agenda, patients have barely any involvement at all...."

AMGEN DECISION TO HALT GDNF CLINICAL TRIALS AND WITHDRAW THE DRUG

TRIGGERS PROTEST FROM RESEARCHERS AND PATIENTS. Peggy Peck. Neurology Today .Volume 5(4), 2005, pp 4,7,24.

Parkinson’s Disease: The Ups and Downs of Developing Therapies. Ricki Lewis. Applied Neurology. April 2005.

Trial of New PD Treatment Halted: Some Patients and Advocates Protest. Robin Elliott. Parkinson's Disease Foundation Newsletter, Winter 2004-2005.

Related Link:

Lancet Neurology Editorial