Medtronic and Lilly to ally on Parkinson’s treatment approach

Medtronic is entering into a partnership with pharmaceutical company Lilly to develop a new approach to treating Parkinson's disease.

The alliance will bring together Medtronic's medical device expertise and Lilly's drug development experience to create a means of supplying a promising new medicine directly to the brain using an implantable delivery system.

Medtronic has developed a drug pump and catheter system that is able to precisely deliver Lilly's modified glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor variant therapy to precise areas of the brain over extended periods in a consistent manner.

It is hoped that this combination of technologies can help to mitigate the neurodegenerative impact of the currently incurable disease.

Dr Steve Oesterle, senior vice-president of medicine and technology at Medtronic, said: "Our collaboration with Lilly is bringing together the expertise of both companies to develop a new approach to the treatment of Parkinson's disease."

Earlier this month, the company published positive clinical trial data for its Resolute drug-eluting stent, demonstrating its efficacy in treating coronary artery disease.