AbbVie’s Parkinson’s disease therapy has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to treat patients with advanced stages of the disease.
Produodopa is a solution of foscarbidopa and foslevodopa, the prodrugs for the commonly used carbidopa and levodopa (CD/LD), and is expected to benefit about 900 adults following NICE’s decision.
The drug focuses specifically on treating motor fluctuations in Parkinson’s and, unlike orally administered CD/LD, is designed to be given continuously under the skin via a pump. The device is small, completely portable and can be refilled at home.
The final draft guidance from NICE is supported by results from a late-stage trial in which Produodopa significantly extended the time that patients did not experience involuntary movement compared to orally administered CD/LD.
Approximately 130 adults with Parkinson’s whose motor symptoms were no longer adequately controlled by their current medications were enrolled in the study at 80 sites in the US and Australia.
Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at NICE, said: “[Produodopa] represents an important new treatment for people with advanced Parkinson’s, providing an easy-to-use option that can help them manage their symptoms more reliably and effectively.”
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive and chronic neurological disorder characterised by symptoms such as tremor, muscle rigidity, slowness of movement and difficulty with balance.
As a potential new option for advanced Parkinson’s, AbbVie asked for Produodopa to be considered only for patients who cannot have apomorphine, deep brain stimulation surgery, or whose symptoms are no longer controlled by these treatments.
The recommendation comes just a few weeks after AbbVie announced its acquisition of Mitokinin, a discovery-stage biotech developing a potential disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Mitokinin’s lead compound is designed to address mitochondrial dysfunction, which is suggested to be a contributing factor to Parkinson’s pathogenesis and progression.
Under the terms of the agreement, AbbVie will pay Mitokinin $110m at closing, and Mitokinin’s shareholders will also be eligible for additional payments of up to $545m upon the achievement of certain development and commercial milestones related to the lead programme, as well as tiered royalties based on net sales.