One common but frustrating symptom of Parkinson’s disease is what’s known as “off periods.” These happen when medication, such as Sinemet (carbidopa and levodopa), wear off — sometimes suddenly — and other Parkinson’s symptoms that had been under control show up again or get worse. During off periods, you…

Produodopa (foslevodopa/foscarbidopa; also known as ABBV-951), a continuous infusion formulation of levodopa/carbidopa, will be available to advanced Parkinson’s disease patients in Scotland whose severe motor fluctuations and involuntary movements are no longer controlled by those standard therapies. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) restricted use of AbbVie’s subcutaneous…

Amneal Pharmaceuticals and Bial have entered into a licensing agreement giving Amneal exclusive rights to market and distribute Ongentys (opicapone) in the U.S. as an add-on treatment for people with Parkinson’s disease. Owned by Bial, Ongentys was approved by the U.S. Food and…

Homogenous cell therapy — treatments using only one cell type — may ease disease severity, lessen motor symptoms, and improve activities of daily living in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a new systematic review. These effects were observed during patients’ off periods, times when the medication wears off…

BioVie’s investigational oral therapy NE3107, taken in combination with standard levodopa, eases motor symptoms more substantially than levodopa alone in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to top-line results of a Phase 2 clinical trial. “NE3107 shows promise, and if the current findings are confirmed, it may represent one…

The pharmaceutical company Kyowa Kirin has unveiled an effort to help educate Parkinson’s disease patients and healthcare professionals about “off” episodes and treatments such as Nourianz (istradefylline), an adjunctive therapy it developed for such times. The new resources ultimately seek to empower adult patients to discuss “off” times…

About 1 in 3 Parkinson’s disease patients in two Phase 3 trials experienced an “off” episode before going to sleep, and most of those who woke up during the night were in an “off” state upon awakening, researchers reported. These findings were pulled from a new analysis of data obtained…

“Sometimes life seems a dark tunnel with no light at the end, but if you just keep moving forward, you will end up in a better place.” — Jeffrey Fry Would you say that living with Parkinson’s disease is like being in a really long tunnel? Sometimes the journey…

Notable events, like my granddaughter’s school play, often are not scheduled to accommodate my Parkinson’s disease (PD). Usually, early evening events seem to occur exactly as I reach the peak of my worst “off” period. But will I miss these types of activities? No! I need to be out…

There are many ways to get a backache. This is new for me — lower back pain that leads to spasms and literally drives me to my knees. It doesn’t feel like the pain from overdoing it in the garden. Every gardener knows that exquisite twinge from too much lifting…