A drug designed to help healthcare providers identify if a patient is suffering from a Parkinsonian Syndrome or a tremor unrelated to the conditions has begun phase III trials in the US.

Alseres Pharmaceuticals confirmed that the first patient had been enrolled into its study of Altropane, a molecular imaging agent which the firm hopes will help doctors make an accurate diagnosis and ensure that patients receive the appropriate treatment.

Researchers have previously highlighted the problems doctors face when trying to discover what is causing tremors.

A paper published in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry in 2002 found that 15 per cent of a group of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, prescribed anti- Parkinson's medication or who had developed a tremor after the age of 50 did not actually have the condition.

Worryingly, a further 19 per cent of people who had not be diagnosed with the condition were found to be suffering from it.

Masters can help healthcare providers obtain drugs which are still being evaluated in clinical trials through its named patient supply programme, which can distribute drugs across the world.