A study of high-dose nicotinamide riboside (NR) in Parkinson's Disease

The company Haukeland University Hospital is commencing recruitment for the clinical trial of the NR-SAFE: Safety of High-dose Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) in Parkinson's Disease.

The trial officially began on the April 21, 2022 and is planned to complete on December 2022.

NR-SAFE is a double-blinded randomized safety study aiming to determine the safety and tolerability of nicotinamide riboside (NR) at a daily dose of 3000mg, in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). We recently reported the results of the NADPARK study (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03816020), a phase I randomized, double-blinded trial, assessing the tolerability, cerebral bioavailability and molecular effects of NR therapy, 1000mg daily, in PD.

The NADPARK study showed that NR 1000mg daily was well tolerated and led to a significant, but variable, increase in cerebral NAD levels (measured by 31phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 31P-MRS) and related metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). NR recipients showing increased brain NAD levels exhibited altered cerebral metabolism, measured by 18fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET), and this was associated with mild clinical improvement.

The results of the NADPARK trial nominate NR as a potential neuroprotective therapy for PD, warranting further investigation in larger trials. It is plausible that any beneficial effects of NR in PD may be dose-dependent and more pronounced at higher doses. NR doses of up to 2000mg daily have been tested in healthy humans with no signs of toxicity. However, the safety and tolerability of even higher doses is untested. To enable clinical studies assessing higher doses, we will assess the safety and tolerability of an oral dose of 3000 mg NR daily. NR-SAFE will recruit 20 participants with PD and randomize them 1:1 to either NR 3000mg daily or placebo for a total duration of 4 weeks.

The link to the complete study profile: https://ichgcp.net/clinical-trials-registry/NCT05344404