Due to the high-risk nature of drugs being developed for neurology diseases, most product launches in the recent history of Parkinson’s disease have been the result of strategic partnerships for marketing and sales, with few exceptions. Therefore, large pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Roche, Novartis, and AbbVie often prefer to invest in therapies that are in late stages of development, when a positive result may be more likely. However, leading data and analytics company GlobalData highlights a shift from this trend, as more big companies are getting involved in deals to develop pipeline drugs and medical devices for Parkinson’s disease during early stages in order to explore novel technologies.
According to GlobalData’s report, ‘Parkinson’s Disease – Global Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2029’, one notable area that is receiving more attention from big pharma companies is gene therapy research, which is therapies and medical devices within the precision medicine model that aim to tailor treatment to the individual patients by use of genetic information. Some of the largest deals within the Parkinson’s disease pipeline relate to gene therapies, including Eli Lilly’s $880 million deal with Prevail Therapeutics to develop PR001 in December 2020; and the licensing deal between Sio Gene Therapies (formerly known as Axovant) and Oxford Biomedica, which involves developing the Parkinson’s disease gene therapy known as AXO-Lenti-PD, currently in Phase II trials.
Elia Garcia, Medical Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Traditionally, the high-risk, high-reward Parkinson’s disease space has drawn the interest of small companies and biotechnology startups but deterred big pharma from investing heavily in early-stage candidates. However, companies are now diversifying their approaches by investing more substantially in innovative precision medicine therapies, which are reshaping disease treatment with the potential to provide superior outcomes in smaller patient populations.”
Continued research and development (R&D) within the pharmaceutical field is being further enhanced by genetic research into diseases. Only last month, Qiagen announced a deal with Neuron 23 to enhance its clinical trials with Qiagen bioinformatics solutions, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI).
Garcia continues: “Cutting-edge genomic technologies have been used in a range of studies to identify causative genes in familial Parkinson’s disease, with Qiagen and Neuron 23’s agreement being one of the latest. Obtaining and analysing data using high-end technology will facilitate the development of new treatments and improve medicines, while the interchange of knowledge between companies will enable personalized care to a whole new level.”
Among the most practical tech solutions for Parkinson’s disease are smart objects that help alleviate tremors and motor problems associated with the disease. Various devices are being developed to provide mobility assistance, ranging from a spoon that counteracts spasms when eating, to devices that are implanted in the brain to give deep-brain-stimulation therapy.
