According to a story from Parkinson’s News Today, a study evaluating a pool of phase 3 clinical data confirmed the effectiveness of Gocovri, a drug that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to control “off” states in Parkinson’s disease patients. Off states can appear in patients who have been using levodopa, the standard treatment for the illness, for long periods of time. As Parkinson’s progresses, the effect of levodopa does not last as long, leading to a period of symptom exacerbation called an off state before the patient can take their next dose of levodopa.
About Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a type of long term, progressive, degenerative illness that affects the central nervous system. Symptoms tend to develop over a period of years and primarily affect the movement ability and mental state of the patient. The cause of Parkinson’s disease remains a mystery, although there are a number of risk factors that have been identified. These factors include head injuries, pesticide exposure, and certain genetic variants and mutations. About 15 percent of patients have a close relative with the disease, suggesting some genetic connection. Symptoms include slowed movements, poor coordination, trouble walking, shaking, stiffness, abnormal posture, depression, anxiety, inhibited thinking, hallucinations, and dementia. Treatment may involve a number of medications, rehabilitation, and surgical operations. Survival rate varies, but most patients survive around 10 to 15 years after getting diagnosed. To learn more about Parkinson’s disease, click here.
About The Study
The intent of this study was to reevaluate the impact of Gocovri on off states. The analysis looked at data from 160 Parkinson’s disease patients, including 77 that used Gocovri and 85 that used a placebo for a twelve week period. These patient had been using levodopa for a mean of 7.6 years. These patients were asked to document their disease activity in 30 minute intervals.
57.1 percent of Gocovri users reported no instances of symptomatic on states compared to 24.7 percent in the control group. The treatment was found to reduce the duration of off states during the day and also reduced the amount of shifts between on and off states. These results indicate that Gocovri was able to improve the effectiveness of levodopa and provide a steadier on state.
The original study was first published in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.
