Acorda Asks European Union to Approve Inbrija for Parkinson’s Off Periods

Acorda Therapeutics has asked the European Medicines Agency to approve Inbrija (CVT-301) to reduce the periods when the standard Parkinson’s treatment carbidopa/levodopa is not working.

Inbrija is a self-administered, inhaled levodopa therapy. Acorda developed it to reduce the time when standard levodopa treatment wears off — periods known as off times.

Both movement and non-movement symptoms return during off times. About half of  patients taking standard levodopa have off periods, which become more frequent and severe during the course of the disease.

Inbrija was designed to deliver a precise dose of a dry powder form of levodopa to patients’ brains. The powder form bypasses the digestive system, preventing delays in the medication kicking in.

Acorda filed a marketing authorization application asking the European Union to approve the therapy. The application included results from its 12-week Phase 3 SPAN-PD clinical trial (NCT02240030). The study assessed the safety and effectiveness of 84-mg and 60-mg doses of Inbrija’s administered up to five times a day in 351 Parkinson’s patients experiencing off periods.

Inbrija improved patients’ movement in comparison with a placebo, results showed.

In line with a previous Phase 2b trial, researchers found no lung safety concerns. The most common adverse events were cough, upper respiratory tract infection, and throat irritation.

Acorda presented the SPAN-PD results at the International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Vancouver, Canada, in June 2017.

The application included the results of two long-term Phase 3 safety trials as well. The CVT-301-005 trial (NCT02352363) covered 408 patients, and the CVT-301-004E study (NCT02242487) 325 participants.

Researchers found no changes in the treated patients’ lung function, compared with standard levodopa treatment. Taken together, the findings indicated that Inbrija was safe as an off-period treatment, Acorda said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration accepted Acorda’s New Drug Application for Inbrija in February 2018. It expects to decide by October 5 whether to approve it.

U.S. regulators refused to accept Acord’s initial application due to concerns over the manufacturing of Inbrija. The company addressed the questions in a revised application.

Acorda’s European application covers all European Union countries, as well as Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland.