NRG Therapeutics Ltd. has closed a £16 million (US$18.3 million) series A round to take forward programs in Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, after pinning down the target of its brain penetrant small molecules.

Lucy Therapeutics Inc. has announced promising preclinical data for multiple compounds in its lead program for Parkinson's disease, including two lead small-molecule agents, LucyTx-1209 and LucyTx-1212.

For a long time, α2-adrenoceptor antagonists have been successfully used as adjunct therapy to improve pharmacotherapy of antipsychotics, antidepressants or anti-parkinsonian drugs.

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) mutations adversely impair multiple physiological processes, and gain-of-function mutations in the LRRK2 gene are common in familial forms of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

In a development that is a potential boon for wearables and other sectors of the digital health industry, the U.K.’s NICE has petitioned the National Health Service (NHS) to expand its coverage of devices that monitor patients with Parkinson’s disease. That data would be used by NICE to inform a health technology assessment that might ultimately boost sales of these devices if the data suggest a strong benefit to patients and to the U.K. health care budget.