A once-daily pill for Parkinson’s disease has succeeded in a late-stage clinical trial. Biopharma company Cerevance announced the results on October 7.

The drug, solengepras, was tested in 341 patients in the ARISE phase 3 study. Patients taking the 150 mg dose spent 0.61 hours less per day in the OFF state, when symptoms return. They gained 0.60 hours of good ON time. The reduction in OFF time was statistically significant, with a p-value of 0.0350.

Unlike current drugs, solengepras is not dopamine-based. It targets the GPR6 receptor in the brain’s movement circuitry. This could mean fewer side effects for patients already on dopamine therapy.

The trial ran at multiple centres in the United States and Europe. Cerevance plans to meet the FDA before seeking approval. Parkinson’s affects about 166,000 people in the UK alone. More data is expected in 2027. Experts said the results are encouraging, though independent review of the full data is still pending.