A potential new treatment for hallucinations?
3 out of 4 people with Parkinson’s will experience hallucinations at some point. But Professor Suzanne Reeves has found a drug, ondansetron, that may have the potential to reduce hallucinations.
Why is treating hallucinations important?
Hallucinations can be extremely unsettling but currently there’s no treatment approved in the UK.
It’s vital we find better treatments. Many people with Parkinson’s found that their symptoms worsened during the pandemic.
If successful, this trial could see this drug, which is already used in the NHS, quickly repurposed to become an available treatment in Parkinson’s.
And not only that, Professor Reeves believes ondansetron has the potential to treat other Parkinson’s symptoms such as tremors, anxiety, delusions and sleep and memory problems
Watch the video to find out more.
What is happening in the clinical trial?
The Trial of Ondansetron as a Parkinson’s Hallucination Treatment (TOP HAT) will compare the effects of taking ondansetron with the effects of taking a placebo, or dummy pill.
Participants will take either ondansetron or the placebo for 12 weeks. They will be assessed before, during and after the 12 week treatment.
A focus group of people with Parkinson’s has helped Professor Suzanne Reeves design this phase 2 trial. Over 30 hospitals across the UK are taking part.
What's promising about this trial?
We already know ondansetron is safe for people to take. By testing the drug in people with Parkinson’s who experience hallucinations, we can discover if it is both safe and effective as a treatment.
This is a big, nationwide trial with 216 participants. That’s how confident we are that ondansetron could be an effective treatment for hallucinations.
Will you donate today to help fund this groundbreaking trial?
Together, we can take steps towards a new treatment
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What’s next?
If this phase 2 trial proves ondansetron is effective, the next step will be to partner with a pharmaceutical company for larger-scale clinical trials.
With your help, within a few years, we could see clinicians repurposing ondansetron to treat people with Parkinson’s hallucinations throughout the UK.
Together, we can deliver a treatment that could make life better for thousands of people with Parkinson’s.