Summary
Galantamine has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Parkinson's Disease would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Parkinson's Disease. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 3 registered trials linking Galantamine to Parkinson's Disease: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 has completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT07284290). It plans or enrolled 120 participants. Registration activity spans 2004 to 2025. The literature layer holds 3 publications for this pair: 2 meta-analyses and 1 clinical trial publication. Publication years run from 2009 to 2023. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Parkinson Disease ranks 540 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Progressive neurodegeneration — no spontaneous remission; untreated motor decline averages 3-5 UPDRS points/year; non-motor symptoms (depression, cognitive decline, autonomic dysfunction) also progressive.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 38.5 (trials 8.5, literature 10.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 3 total: 1 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 1 other |
| Linked publications | 3 (2 meta-analyses, 1 clinical trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | inhibitor |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | ACHE |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07284290 | Elucidating the Role of Cholinergic Degeneration in Cognitive Fluctuations in Lewy Body Dementia 2025 | recruiting | Phase 4 | 120 |
| NCT01944436 | A Genetic and Perfusion Study of Response to Cognitive Enhancers in Lewy Body Disease 2006 | completed | Not applicable | 57 |
| NCT00211588 | Galantamine Executive Function in Parkinson's Disease 2004 | status unknown | Not applicable | 90 |
Published literature
- Meta-analysis Cholinesterase Inhibitors for Delusions and Hallucinations in Alzheimer Disease and Parkinson Disease: Questionably Significant BenefitsAndrade C · The Journal of clinical psychiatry · 2023 · PMID 37530610
- Meta-analysis Cholinesterase Inhibitors for Treatment of Psychotic Symptoms in Alzheimer Disease and Parkinson Disease: A Meta-analysisd'Angremont E, Begemann MJH, van Laar T et al. · JAMA neurology · 2023 · PMID 37358841
- Clinical trial publication A double-blind comparison of galantamine hydrobromide ER and placebo in Parkinson diseaseGrace J, Amick MM, Friedman JH · Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry · 2009 · PMID 18931006
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: inhibitor.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target ACHE. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Galantamine approved for Parkinson's Disease?
Galantamine has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Parkinson's Disease would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Parkinson's Disease. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Galantamine in clinical trials for Parkinson's Disease?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 3 registered trials linking Galantamine to Parkinson's Disease: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 has completed; 1 is terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT07284290). It plans or enrolled 120 participants. Registration activity spans 2004 to 2025.
What does the evidence show for Galantamine in Parkinson's Disease?
Galantamine has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Parkinson's Disease. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target ACHE. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.