The safety and tolerability of a mixed lineage kinase inhibitor (CEP-1347) in PD.

CEP-1347 is an inhibitor of members of the mixed lineage kinase family, key signals triggering apoptotic neuronal death. The authors performed a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study assessing the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and acute symptomatic effects of CEP-1347 in 30 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this short-term study, CEP-1347 was safe and well tolerated. It had no acute effect on parkinsonian symptoms or levodopa pharmacokinetics, making it well suited for larger and longer studies of its potential to modify the course of PD.