Parkinson's disease

What people research this for

People living with Parkinson's, and the people who love them, want to know if anything can slow it down. Researchers have tested a diabetes medicine and several peptides with that hope. The biggest trial so far came back negative.

Researched for

• Slowing Parkinson's
• Movement symptoms
• Protecting nerve cells

Peptides studied

Each peptide below has been studied in this area. The label shows how far that research has gone.

• Exenatide

  Tested in clinical trials

  Randomized trial in people · 3 studies

  Study note. Phase 2 (2017) suggested possible motor benefit; phase 3 Exenatide-PD3 (2025) found no disease-modifying effect vs placebo at 96 weeks on MDS-UPDRS III off medication.

  1. Exenatide once weekly versus placebo in Parkinson's disease: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. (opens in a new tab)

     Athauda D, Maclagan K, Skene SS · Lancet (London, England) · 2017 · PubMed

  2. Exenatide once a week versus placebo as a potential disease-modifying treatment for people with Parkinson's disease in the UK: a phase 3, multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. (opens in a new tab)

     Vijiaratnam N, Girges C, Auld G · Lancet (London, England) · 2025 · PubMed

  3. Exenatide once weekly over 2 years as a potential disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson's disease: protocol for a multicentre, randomised, double blind, parallel group, placebo controlled, Phase 3 trial (Exenatide-PD3). (opens in a new tab)

     Vijiaratnam N, Girges C, Auld G · BMJ open · 2021 · PubMed

• Dihexa

  Early lab and animal research

  Research review · 2 studies

  Study note. Ang IV analog reviews include Parkinson disease models, preclinical only.

  1. The development of small molecule angiotensin IV analogs to treat Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. (opens in a new tab)

     Wright JW, Kawas LH, Harding JW · Progress in neurobiology · 2015 · PubMed

  2. Cognitive benefits of angiotensin IV and angiotensin-(1-7): A systematic review of experimental studies. (opens in a new tab)

     Ho JK, Nation DA · Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2018 · PubMed

• SS-31

  Early lab and animal research

  Research review · 2 studies

  Study note. SS-31 / elamipretide literature targets mitochondrial plasticity; PD clinical efficacy is not established in these citations.

  1. Serendipity and the discovery of novel compounds that restore mitochondrial plasticity. (opens in a new tab)

     Szeto HH, Birk AV · Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2014 · PubMed

  2. Elamipretide: A Review of Its Structure, Mechanism of Action, and Therapeutic Potential. (opens in a new tab)

     Tung C, Varzideh F, Farroni E · International journal of molecular sciences · 2025 · PubMed

• Cerebrolysin

  Small early studies in people

  Research review · 1 study

  Study note. Neurotrophic peptide-mixture literature is stronger in cognitive impairment reviews than in large PD RCTs.

  1. Cerebrolysin in the therapy of mild cognitive impairment and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease: 30 years of clinical use. (opens in a new tab)

     Gavrilova SI, Alvarez A · Medicinal research reviews · 2021 · PubMed

Related research

• Dementia (cognitive decline)

  Brain, mood and nerves · 3 peptides

• Alzheimer's disease

  Brain, mood and nerves · 4 peptides

• Stroke / ischemic brain injury

  Brain, mood and nerves · 2 peptides

• Anxiety / stress

  Brain, mood and nerves · 2 peptides

• Neuropathy / nerve pain

  Brain, mood and nerves · 2 peptides

• Mitochondrial dysfunction / cellular energy

  Energy, aging and sexual health · 3 peptides

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