Melbourne medical breakthrough finds new drug slows progression of MND

Melbourne researchers have made a “big step forward” in the fight against MND, finding a new drug which significantly slowed the progression of the disease in trial patients.

As reported in the Herald Sun, the trial of the new drug was partly paid for by Neale Daniher’s Fight MND Foundation and is the result of 15 years of research and testing at Parkville institutes.

Professor Ashley Bush, director of the Melbourne Dementia Research Centre at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, told Kate and Quarters some patients not only did not progress, their symptoms improved.

“It’s a big step forward we think,” Professor Bush said.

“It looked like not only, did it not progress, but there were some individuals who made some form of recovery.

“We were pretty impressed, it was pretty comprehensive in terms of the effects.”

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“We’re very encouraged and optimistic it could be beneficial in that disorder (Parkinsons disease),” he said.

Professor Bush said if the drug is a success in the following stages, it could hopefully be just “three years or so” away from public sale.

“It’s not too far away,” he said.