GOVERNOR
ED RENDELL
SHARES HIS
STORY
on page 9
FOCUS
ON PARKINSON’S
Two New Parkinson’s Drugs
Approaching Market
FDA set to rule on novel treatments funded by MJFF in early development
Editor’s note: As this newsletter went to print, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was
reviewing two experimental drugs to treat “off” times
in Parkinson’s. If approved, they would be the first
treatments directly funded by The Michael J. Fox
Foundation to come to market.
For many people with Parkinson’s, “off ” episodes
— when disabling symptoms come back before it
is time for the next dose of oral levodopa — are
among the most troubling aspects of the disease.
Now, two entirely new drug formulations with
potential to alleviate “off ” episodes may have
reached the home stretch of their long journey
to market. The FDA is expected to rule on an
inhaled powder formulation of levodopa (with
delivery similar to an asthma inhaler) and an
under-the-tongue “Listerine strip” formulation of
apomorphine in January 2019.
In a 2014 MJFF survey of more than 3,000
respondents, nearly 50 percent reported that “off ”
episodes moderately or severely impacted their
ability to perform daily tasks.
“The approvals of these drugs would represent a
milestone in our ‘de-risking’ strategy,” said MJFF
CEO Todd Sherer, PhD. “In urgent pursuit of
improved treatment options for patients, we work
to identify and fund the most promising ideas. The
goal is to keep them moving forward in development
and help drugmakers attract the deep resources
needed to get new treatments across the finish line.”
(continued on page 2)
06
Research News Briefs
08
In This Issue
The Need for Research
in Policymaking
10 14
Dr. Dolhun Talks “Off”
Time in PD Fundraising Tips from
Team Fox Pros
Fall/Winter 2018
THE FOX