The Leverkusen-based pharmaceutical and agricultural company announced on Thursday that the drug had achieved the primary objective of a Phase 1b clinical trial. The gene therapy was well tolerated by all eleven patients over an observation period of 18 months, and no serious adverse events occurred. The detailed data are to be published in the second quarter. A phase 2 trial is being prepared and is scheduled to start as planned in the first half of the year.

The core of the therapy is the transplantation of cells into the brain of the test subjects in order to compensate for the damage to the nerve cells caused by the disease. Parkinson's is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, affecting more than ten million people worldwide. It is caused by damage to the nerve cells in the brain, which leads to a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine. The drugs used to date can alleviate the symptoms of the disease, but there is still no cure. Bayer secured the gene therapy with the complete takeover of BlueRock in 2019.

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