Despite being a 50-year-old, inexpensive, and effective treatment for Parkinson's disease, levodopa remains inaccessible to many worldwide due to systemic political, logistical, and regulatory failures. The authors call for a coordinated global response to make levodopa universally available, affordable, and safe, similar to the successful international efforts against HIV/AIDS, emphasizing that access to this life-changing medication is a matter of human rights and public health urgency.
Scientists from the University of South Australia have developed a biodegradable, long-acting injectable gel that delivers levodopa and carbidopa steadily over a week, potentially transforming Parkinson's treatment by reducing dosing frequency and improving patient compliance. The formulation has shown promising safety and effectiveness in lab tests, with plans for clinical trials and commercialization.
Researchers from the University of South Australia have developed a biodegradable, weekly injectable formulation of levodopa and carbidopa that could significantly improve Parkinson's disease treatment by maintaining steady drug levels, reducing pill burden, and enhancing patient adherence, with potential applications for other chronic diseases.
A new teeth-retainer system called DopaFuse, developed by SynAgile, can continuously deliver high doses of levodopa and carbidopa to help manage motor symptoms in advanced Parkinson's disease patients. This system, tested in a Phase 2 study, provides more stable medication levels and better symptom control by releasing a paste formulation of the drugs into the mouth, allowing for doses up to 1,200 mg per day without invasive methods.
A study suggests that orthostatic hypotension, a condition where blood pressure drops upon standing, may be a clinical marker for the body-first subtype of Parkinson's disease. This subtype is believed to originate in the digestive tract and spread to the brain, causing nonmotor symptoms like heart and digestive issues before motor symptoms appear. The study involved 928 Parkinson's patients and found those with orthostatic hypotension were more likely to experience motor fluctuations, sleep disorders, and autonomic nervous system problems. Researchers propose using orthostatic hypotension as a potential marker for early detection of this Parkinson's subtype.
