PD-MIND

Only 10% of compounds studied in the early stages of drug development make it into clinical trials, and of those, just 20% achieve regulatory approval. Nevertheless, the compounds that fall along the way can still prove useful in research and in some cases can be ‘repurposed’, i.e. used for the treatment of different diseases to the one for which they were originally developed. PD-MIND aims to repurpose a compound called AZD0328 as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI). Recent trials have suggested that compounds like AZD0328 could improve cognition in people with Parkinson’s disease. Now, PD-MIND will carry out a randomised, placebo controlled study across multiple centres in different countries to see if this finding can be confirmed. Patients and other stakeholders will be involved from the start to ensure their viewpoints are taken into account in the design and execution of the trial. Repurposing drugs in this way has a number of advantages. Most notably, as a lot of work has already been carried out on the compounds, repurposing can deliver results much faster and for less money.