Inhaled Levodopa in Parkinson's Disease

Inhaled levodopa could be a useful addition to the Parkinson disease armamentarium, according to a recent study published in Neurology: Clinical Practice.

About Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. Symptoms start gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. Tremors are common, but the disorder also commonly causes stiffness or slowing of movement. Although Parkinson's disease can't be cured, medications might significantly improve your symptoms. Occasionally, your doctor may suggest surgery to regulate certain regions of your brain and improve your symptoms.

The Study

A group of researchers conducted a study to investigate the efficacy and safety of CVT-301 for motor fluctuation in Parkinson's disease (PD).

The authors of this review summarize the current literature regarding the use of inhaled levodopa for the treatment of Parkinson disease. They used five randomized controlled clinical trials for the final analysis. Overall, inhaled levodopa substantially improved parkinsonian symptoms compared with placebo, with no significant differences in the incidence of dyskinesia, falls, or respiratory tract infections. The most common adverse events were cough, discoloured sputum, and throat irritation.

Recent Findings

• This study demonstrated that the CVT-301 group had a higher proportion of patients achieving an ON state than the placebo group (OR=2.68; 95% CI: 1.86-3.86; p<0.00001).
• CVT-301 had also been shown to improve motor function by UPDRS-III score (SMD=3.83; 95% CI: 2.44-5.23; p<0.00001) and promote an overall improvement of PD by PGIC self-rating (OR=2.95; 95% CI: 1.78-4.9; p<0.00001).
• The most common adverse events encountered were respiratory symptoms (OR=12.18; 95% CI: 5.01-29.62; p<0.00001) and nausea (OR=3.95; 95% CI: 1.01-15.41; p=0.05).

Thus, the researchers concluded that CVT-301 had the potential to be an alternative or even a preferred treatment for motor fluctuation in PD patients.

Reference

Inhaled Levodopa (CVT-301) for the Treatment of Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials by Glenardi Glenardi, et al. published in the Neurology: Clinical Practice.

Read the full study