Combating Advanced Parkinson’s Disease: So. Fla. Parkinson’s Disease Patients Gain Access To Cli

March 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Neurologic Consultants, P.A. today announced it is recruiting South Florida patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease to participate in a national clinical trial focused on more effectively treating the disease’s life-disrupting swings from mobility to immobility.

With Parkinson’s disease typically affecting one in 100 people aged 60 and older, Solvay Pharmaceuticals is conducting the clinical trial to evaluate an investigational medication – levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel – which is administered through an investigational, programmable pump.  Since this is an “open label” clinical trial, all participating patients receive the study medication, rather than a placebo, or inactive product.

Jonathan Harris, M.D., director of research for the Fort Lauderdale-based Neurologic Consultants, P.A. is lead investigator in South Florida for Solvay Pharmaceuticals’ HORIZON phase III, open-label clinical trial, which is enrolling participants.
“The simplest tasks, such as walking or getting out of bed, can be a real challenge for patients with the movement disorders of advanced Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr. Harris.  “About six million people worldwide suffer from this degenerative disease, and this study is working to bring another option to patients coping with the severe motor fluctuations of the disease’s advanced stage,” he added.

Currently, a commonly used Parkinson’s disease treatment is a combination of levodopa and carbidopa, taken by mouth.  Levodopa helps relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease by delivering dopamine (a neurotransmitter essential for normal functioning of the central nervous system) to the brain, while carbidopa helps increase the effectiveness of levodopa and reduces potential side effects.  Over time, treatment with oral levodopa and carbidopa can lose its effectiveness.  
As a result, some advanced Parkinson’s disease patients still experience swings in motor function despite treatment with this or other PD medications.  The clinical trial is evaluating whether the study medication administered internally with the study pump is effective for such patients.

The medication/delivery system with levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel is approved for use in many counties in Europe as Duodopa®.

For information about clinical trial registration, please contact Dr. Jonathan Harris at 954-776-9111.  To learn more about the clinical trial, visit http://www.pdtrials.org/en/browse/all/view/250.