Riluzole Dosing in Huntington's Disease (RID-HD):

Results of an 8-Week Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multi-Center Study by the Huntington Study Group

 

This study of riluzole was designed to assess whether the drug was safe, tolerable and effective for treatment of chorea over a relatively short period of time. The study was conducted by the Huntington Study Group, a consortium of physicians, psychologists, and other health professionals throughout the US and Canada. Although the drug showed some effect on chorea at the higher dosage tested, it was associated with abnormalities of liver function in some individuals. Riluzole did not appear to benefit other features of Huntington's disease, including non-chorea motor features, cognition, behavior, or overall function. The high cost of the medication, the need for ongoing monitoring of liver function, and the lack of benefit on other features of the illness prevent us from recommending the drug for routine use. A larger, longer-term study of riluzole in Huntington's disease is currently underway in Europe, and may shed light on whether the drug has the ability to slow the progression of the underlying disease.