They spoke more about this at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Seattle.
The researchers followed 149 children and adolescents aged 6-17, 74 of whom received ecopipam and the rest received placebo. The severity of motor and vocal tics was measured using a standard 50-point scale; another scale, a 100-point scale, also assessed general symptoms and severity of disturbances. Three months later, in the ecopipam group, the severity of tics and disorders decreased by 30-32%, and in the placebo group – by 19-20%.
Among children taking ecopipam, 34% reported side effects such as headache and fatigue. In the placebo group, 21% of participants complained of side effects.
“Our results show that ecopipam holds promise as a treatment for reducing the number, frequency, and severity of tics that occur in young people with Tourette’s syndrome. This is especially true because many people with the disease who are taking currently available medications still have debilitating symptoms or experience weight gain or other side effects,” said Dr. Donald Gilbert, lead author of the paper.
Ecopipam is a drug that interacts with the dopamine D1 receptor. Earlier studies have shown that the symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome may be associated with a disruption in the work of dopamine – reaching receptors, it controls a number of mental and physical functions. The researchers hope that the new drug will perform well in further trials and in the future will be useful for patients with Tourette’s syndrome.