New Drug for Stuttering Shows Great Promise

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (May 24, 2006) — The Stuttering Foundation of America today welcomed news that clinical trials of the drug pagoclone showed significant speech improvements for people who stutter.

"We were particularly pleased to learn that pagoclone does not appear to have any serious side effects, unlike some drugs used in the past," says Jane Fraser, president of the Stuttering Foundation.

The drug's manufacturer, Indevus Pharmaceuticals, announced the results today (see the announcement on the Stuttering Foundation's Web site, www.stutteringhelp.org).

The Stuttering Foundation reached more than 800,000 people who stutter in 101 countries in the past year. If pagoclone is approved, it will be another effective tool to treat this frustrating and embarrassing disorder that affects millions worldwide.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

John Melendez

He is a talented musician, actor, and comedian. Listen to a podcast.

Carly Simon

Carly Simon began stuttering severely when she was eight years old.

James Earl Jones

Actor James Earl Jones, a Broadway, television and movie star, is well-known for his voice as Darth Vader in Star Wars and his book Voices and Silences. Jones has spoken some of the most memorable lines in the history of American film, but the man known for his voice was once afflicted with a severe stutter.

Bill Walton

From BillWalton.com

Thank you for your interest in my life long problem with my speech and communication skills. I was a very shy and reserved young man who could not speak at all without severely stuttering until I was 28 years old. Always a success in the classroom and on the basketball court, I took refuge in the things that I did well as a youngster. A straight A student, my athletic abilities covered the deficiencies that limited my overall growth and development. The game of basketball was my religion, the gym my church. It was a convenient way of avoiding my responsibilities of developing my human relation skills.

When I was 28, a chance encounter at a social event with Hall of Fame broadcaster Marty Glickman completely changed my life in so many ways that things have never been the same since, nor have they ever been better. That day, in a very brief, private conversation (one way, mind you, since I literally could not speak at the time) Marty explained, patiently and concisely, that talking, communicating was a skill not a gift or a birthright and that like any skill, whether it be sports, music, business or whatever, needed to be developed over a lifetime of hard work, discipline, organization and practice. Marty gave me some simple tips that day and then encouraged me to take those keys and apply them to methods of learning that I had received from the special teachers that I had come across in my life, particularly the 6 Hall of Fame basketball coaches that I had played for throughout my career. The beginning of my whole new life was as simple as that. No gimmicks, tricks or shortcuts. Just the realization that with some help, guidance and a lot of hard work that I too could do what seemed so easy, simple and natural to everyone else, yet seemed impossibly out of my reach and comprehension.

Jack Paar

While Jack Paar is among the most prominent of the entertainers on the Stuttering Foundation’s list of Famous People Who Stutter, he deserves special recognition as he was among the first to openly address his stuttering in public. As host of The Tonight Show from 1957-1962, he spoke of his difficulties as a stuttering child and teenager, giving hope to young people.