Two Phase II trials with minocycline have ended. The next step is a Phase III clinical trial which involves a larger number of subjects, random assignment to minocycline or a placebo group and double blind assessment of the progression of the disease.
-- Marsha L. Miller, Ph.D.
Minocycline safety and tolerability in Huntington disease.
Huntington Study Group
Neurology. 2004 Aug 10;63(3):547-9.
Minocycline is an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties that prolongs survival in a transgenic Huntington disease (HD) mouse model. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study of minocycline in 60 HD patients, the authors determined that over 8 weeks, minocycline at 100 and 200 mg/day was well tolerated and safe in HD patients. Tolerability and adverse event frequency were similar between treatment and placebo groups.
Minocycline in Huntington's disease: a pilot study.
Thomas M, Ashizawa T, Jankovic J.
Mov Disord. 2004 Jun;19(6):692-5.
Minocycline is a caspase inhibitor, decreases inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and has been shown to delay disease progression in the mouse model R6/2 of Huntington's disease (HD). This safety and tolerability study included 30 patients with HD who were given minocycline over a 6-month period and underwent assessments every 2 months with laboratory studies, the Abnormal Involuntary Movements Scale, the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, and the Mini-Mental State Examination. Minocycline was well tolerated during this study period and no serious adverse events were noted. Copyright 2004 Movement Disorder Society
