Parkinson's Priority Therapeutic Clinical Pipeline Report

A critical measure of progress in delivering new treatments for those living with—or at increased risk for developing—Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the state and health of the therapeutic pipeline. A healthy pipeline should leverage the latest advances in therapeutic technology to target the diverse biology driving disease development as well as the unmet symptom management needs impacting daily life. Human testing (clinical trials) of these approaches should integrate sensitive and informative measures and endpoints of disease biology, progression and lived experience as well as efficient and inclusive study designs to speed clearer decisions on which therapies to move forward. Ensuring these ingredients are in place for maintaining a robust PD pipeline is core to the mission of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF).

This report tracks important therapies currently in clinical development for PD. It includes brief rationale and progress in key pipelines of therapeutic interest along with the development status of specific therapies. Where relevant, the report flags programs that have received financial or other significant enabling support from MJFF. While the report is extensive, it is not comprehensive of every intervention in development for PD. Rather, it represents treatments identified by MJFF as important given potential significance to the Parkinson’s community and for understanding MJFF role and impact.

The report primarily tracks pharmacological (i.e., small molecules) and biological (e.g., peptides, therapeutic antibodies and vaccines, gene therapy, cell therapy, etc.) treatments. We include a brief description of technology-enabled approaches (e.g., neuromodulation and other technological interventions) but highlight only areas reflecting MJFF funding focus. We do not include exercise, alternative therapies or behavioral interventions given challenges in tracking the many permutations these approaches take within the clinical testing pipeline. The report also primarily tracks therapies in development within the United States and Europe as these programs are generally easier to monitor and have more accessible information. Exceptions include trials in countries where study outcomes are expected to possibly inform or influence future consideration in the United States or Europe.

MJFF monitors numerous sources to assess the therapeutic pipeline, including online intelligence databases (e.g., Citeline, clinicaltrials.gov), company websites and our own engagement with industry sponsors. Information in this report is considered non-confidential, intended only as a guide for communicating progress and does not represent endorsement by MJFF of any specific therapy or company. We update and distribute this report on an annual basis, although we may generate supplements to the report as needed. Any errors or omissions are not intentional, and we welcome comments or suggestions to improve the accuracy and relevance of information in this report.