Bayer Clears Early Hurdle With Gene Therapy for Parkinson’s

Bayer AG said that its gene therapy against Parkinson’s disease succeeded in an early-stage trial, allowing the German company to start with a phase-II study of the medicine in coming months.

The therapy was well tolerated in 11 patients with no serious adverse events after 18 months, according to a statement Thursday.

Bayer now has two cutting-edge therapies advancing through trials with Parkinson’s, following last summer’s publication of promising data for stem-cell therapy Bemdaneprocel. Bayer picked up both assets in deals over the past half-decade, gaining the gene therapy with the acquisition of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical Inc. in 2020 and the ...