Abbott Laboratories have announced the results from five abstracts evaluating levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) for the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease.
The abstracts include the results from the second interim analysis of a long-term safety and tolerability trial, as well as secondary endpoint analyses from the Phase 3 pivotal trial.
In a study on 354 patients over 54 weeks, patients experienced improvements in 'off' periods of poor mobility and stiffness, without increasing dyskinesia symptoms.
At week 54, the patients' mean daily 'off' time had decreased an average of 4.5 hours from around 6.7 hours, and 'on' time, or periods of good motor symptom control, without troublesome dyskinesia had increased by 5.1 hours.
The primary endpoint of safety showed adverse events were mostly mild to moderate associated with complications with the Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) tube.
LCIG contains the same active medication as levodopa-carbidopa IR tablets but in gel form and is administered directly into the small intestine via a procedurally implanted tube.
Professor of neurology and neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, Dr C W Olanow, said: "Despite the many advances that have been made over the years in treating patients with Parkinson's disease, managing motor complications, such as wearing off in the advanced stages of the condition, continues to be challenging for physicians, patients and their caregivers."
"Data from the various clinical trials evaluating LCIG suggest that patients with advanced Parkinson's disease may benefit from continuous intestinal infusion of levodopa and carbidopa."
All of the abstracts were presented at the 16th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders, from 17 until 21 June 2012, in Dublin, Ireland.
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