Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. announced on Monday results of Phase III study, called ADAGIO, involving 1 mg tablets of Azilect (rasagiline).

The 18-month trial, involving 1,176 patients suffering from early Parkinson’s disease in 14 countries and 129 medical centers, showed the drug proved efficient in slowing the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder, which occurs when certain nerve cells (neurons) in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra die or become impaired. In normal conditions, these cells produce a vital chemical known as dopamine, which allows smooth, coordinated function of the body’s muscles and movement. The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (tremor, slowness in movement, rigidity, and difficulty with balance) generally appears when approximately 80 percent of the dopamine-producing cells are damaged.

It is estimated that 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the U.S., joining the 1.5 million Americans who currently have the disease. While the condition usually develops after the age of 65, 15 percent of those diagnosed are under 50.

The ADAGIO study was designed to demonstrate that Azilect could slow down the incursion of Parkinson’s disease, which it successfully accomplished with statistical significance. Therefore, the drug could become the first Parkinson’s disease treatment to receive a label for disease-modification, Teva said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The statement also read that the positive results “could dramatically increase the market potential for Azilect,” which had first-quarter sales of $37.5 million, up 50 percent.

Now the company intends to forward the trial’s results to U.S. and European regulatory authorities.