Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2024 Aug 1;37(4):409-413.
doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000001277. Epub 2024 May 23.

Levodopa infusion therapies for Parkinson disease

Marissa N Dean  1 , David G Standaert
Affiliations
Review

Levodopa infusion therapies for Parkinson disease

Marissa N Dean et al. Curr Opin Neurol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: to review recent progress in the development and use of continuous levodopa therapies in Parkinson disease (PD).

Recent findings: Levodopa/Carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) is a continuous levodopa therapy which is widely used in the United States, Europe and other countries and is effective at reducing 'off' time. Recent work has shown that LCIG can be useful in managing dyskinesias and can improve nonmotor symptoms and quality of life. Several studies have shown good long-term effectiveness of LCIG. Recent data support the cost-effectiveness of this treatment strategy. Subcutaneous (SC) delivery of levodopa is a newer strategy that avoids the need for a surgically placed gastric tube. Two different products enabling SC delivery of levodopa are in development: ND0612 and foslevodopa/foscarbidopa. Both have recently been shown to reduce 'off' time in randomized, double-blind trials. Adverse effects of SC levodopa are primarily related to skin reactions at the infusion site.

Summary: Continuous levodopa therapies can be used to treat Parkinson disease motor fluctuations that cannot be managed with standard oral therapies. They may also improve nonmotor symptoms, and improve overall quality of life in patients with advanced PD.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Calabresi P, Standaert DG. Dystonia and levodopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease: is there a connection? Neurobiol Dis 2019; 132:104579.
    1. Olanow CW, Kieburtz K, Odin P, et al. Continuous intrajejunal infusion of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease: a randomised, controlled, double-blind, double-dummy study. Lancet Neurol 2014; 13:141–149.
    1. Standaert DG, Aldred J, Anca-Herschkovitsch M, et al. DUOGLOBE: one-year outcomes in a real-world study of levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel for Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord Clin Pract 2021; 8:1061–1074.
    1. Chaudhuri KR, Kovács N, Pontieri FE, et al. Levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel in advanced Parkinson's disease: DUOGLOBE final 3-year results. J Parkinsons Dis 2023; 13:769–783.
    1. Kovács N, Szász J, Vela-Desojo L, et al. Motor and nonmotor symptoms in patients treated with 24-h daily levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel infusion: analysis of the COmedication Study assessing Mono- and cOmbination therapy with levodopa-carbidopa inteStinal gel (COSMOS). Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2022; 105:139–144.

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources