Parkinson's disease results from the loss of brain cells that make dopamine, which helps to control movement.
As dopamine levels fall, patients experience tremors, muscle stiffness and loss of balance.
A commonly prescribed treatment, the levodopa-carbidopa combination works as the body converts levodopa into dopamine and carbidopa escorts levodopa to the right part of the brain.
The problem is that patients face hours of uncontrolled slowness, freezing and tremors each day--called "off-time"—as the treatment gets into place or wears off.
One reason for the break in treatment coverage is that it comes in a pill, and pills sit in the stomach for up to six hours waiting for it to empty into the small intestine.
It is only there that levodopa encounters the proteins capable of transporting it into the bloodstream en route to the brain.
Latest News:
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- An inhaled version of the Parkinson's drug levodopa can help when patients experience symptoms between doses of the pill form of the medication, a new, small study finds.
CVT-301 is the name of an inhaled version of L-dopa presently being developed for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. CVT-301 uses the ARCUS inhalation technology, which delivers a reliable and consistent drug dose with a compact, breath actuated inhaler. It uses a dry powder and inhaler combination that is unique in its ability to deliver a large, precise dose independent of inspiratory flow rate from a simple, easy-to-use device suitable for convenient self-administration.
Among people with Parkinson's Disease inhaling CVT-301 as a single 50mg dose during an "off" period, 77% of them showed an increase in plasma L-dopa within 10 minutes.
Only 27% of those people with Parkinson's Disease taking oral carbidopa/levodopa reached the same levels. The improvements in motor function were seen as quickly as 5 and 15 minutes after administration, which were the earliest assessment times. So the effect may have been even quicker. The most common adverse event was a cough. However, all cough events were mild to moderate, occurred at the time of inhalation, resolved rapidly, and became less frequent after initial dosing. Less common adverse effects were dizziness and headache. There were no adverse effects on cardiovascular or lung function.
The speed of effect of the L-dopa inhaler and its limited adverse effects could enable it to be widely used when a rapid effect on Parkinson's Disease is required.
Reference : Science Translational Medicine [2016] 8 (360) : 360ra136 (M.M.Lipp, R. Batycky, J.Moore, M.Leinonen, M.I.Freed) Complete abstract In order to refer to this article on its own click here
Levodopa can control the tremors, rigidity and difficulty maintaining balance and coordination associated with Parkinson's disease. However, within two years, as many as half of all patients have rapid and unexpected loss of motor control during "off" periods, when the drug wears off between doses, the researchers explained.
"Off periods can be hugely disruptive to the lives of people with Parkinson's and their families," Lipp said. "Inhaled levodopa has the potential to help people with Parkinson's minimize these disruptions."
The inhaled drug was rapidly absorbed and was detectable in the bloodstream within five minutes, compared with 20 minutes after taking levodopa orally, the researchers found.
Parkinson's patients showed improved motor function after inhaling the drug, Lipp said. The drug appeared safe and was well-tolerated. Coughing was the most common side effect, according to the study.
The report was initially published Oct. 12 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It is work like this which leads the way to the person feeling that they have more control over their everyday lives. This is invaluable. Our grateful thanks for this ongoing research.
As dopamine levels fall, patients experience tremors, muscle stiffness and loss of balance.
A commonly prescribed treatment, the levodopa-carbidopa combination works as the body converts levodopa into dopamine and carbidopa escorts levodopa to the right part of the brain.
The problem is that patients face hours of uncontrolled slowness, freezing and tremors each day--called "off-time"—as the treatment gets into place or wears off.
One reason for the break in treatment coverage is that it comes in a pill, and pills sit in the stomach for up to six hours waiting for it to empty into the small intestine.
It is only there that levodopa encounters the proteins capable of transporting it into the bloodstream en route to the brain.
Latest News:
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- An inhaled version of the Parkinson's drug levodopa can help when patients experience symptoms between doses of the pill form of the medication, a new, small study finds.
CVT-301 is the name of an inhaled version of L-dopa presently being developed for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. CVT-301 uses the ARCUS inhalation technology, which delivers a reliable and consistent drug dose with a compact, breath actuated inhaler. It uses a dry powder and inhaler combination that is unique in its ability to deliver a large, precise dose independent of inspiratory flow rate from a simple, easy-to-use device suitable for convenient self-administration.
Among people with Parkinson's Disease inhaling CVT-301 as a single 50mg dose during an "off" period, 77% of them showed an increase in plasma L-dopa within 10 minutes.
Only 27% of those people with Parkinson's Disease taking oral carbidopa/levodopa reached the same levels. The improvements in motor function were seen as quickly as 5 and 15 minutes after administration, which were the earliest assessment times. So the effect may have been even quicker. The most common adverse event was a cough. However, all cough events were mild to moderate, occurred at the time of inhalation, resolved rapidly, and became less frequent after initial dosing. Less common adverse effects were dizziness and headache. There were no adverse effects on cardiovascular or lung function.
The speed of effect of the L-dopa inhaler and its limited adverse effects could enable it to be widely used when a rapid effect on Parkinson's Disease is required.
Reference : Science Translational Medicine [2016] 8 (360) : 360ra136 (M.M.Lipp, R. Batycky, J.Moore, M.Leinonen, M.I.Freed) Complete abstract In order to refer to this article on its own click here
Levodopa can control the tremors, rigidity and difficulty maintaining balance and coordination associated with Parkinson's disease. However, within two years, as many as half of all patients have rapid and unexpected loss of motor control during "off" periods, when the drug wears off between doses, the researchers explained.
"Off periods can be hugely disruptive to the lives of people with Parkinson's and their families," Lipp said. "Inhaled levodopa has the potential to help people with Parkinson's minimize these disruptions."
The inhaled drug was rapidly absorbed and was detectable in the bloodstream within five minutes, compared with 20 minutes after taking levodopa orally, the researchers found.
Parkinson's patients showed improved motor function after inhaling the drug, Lipp said. The drug appeared safe and was well-tolerated. Coughing was the most common side effect, according to the study.
The report was initially published Oct. 12 in the journal Science Translational Medicine. It is work like this which leads the way to the person feeling that they have more control over their everyday lives. This is invaluable. Our grateful thanks for this ongoing research.