Levodopa News and Research

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Eye cell implants improve lives of Parkinson's sufferers

U.S. researchers say that people with Parkinson's disease showed a marked improvement after surgeons implanted in their brains chemical-producing cells taken from the eye of a dead donor.

14 Dec 2005

Fear of falling gait

The patient came into the doctor's office in a wheelchair, weighted down by a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, taking medication for the disorder and insisting she was unable to stand or walk. Thirty minutes later, after jogging down the hallway, she strolled out the door.

9 Oct 2005

Parkinson's dark period can be minimized or alleviated with the right kind of care

Some people call it "the dark time," the period between when a person is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and when treatment with medication begins.

26 Sep 2005

Benefits of MAO-B inhibitors are small but may be worthwhile in some patients with early Parkinson's disease

A class of drugs known as MAO-B inhibitors may be effective in improving motor symptoms in people with early Parkinson's disease and may delay the need for treatment with other drugs, according to a new systematic review of current evidence.

23 Aug 2005

MDMA/Ectasy could lead to new treatments for Parkinson's disease

Researchers at Duke University have revealed new clues about Parkinson's disease which might one day lead to new treatments.

4 Aug 2005

Research to investigate new drug for Parkinsons disease

Researchers at the University of Sydney have received a grant to investigate the potential of a new drug to treat the abnormal posture and balance that affects people with Parkinson's disease ultimately confining them to a wheelchair.

2 Aug 2005

Inserting corrective genes into the brain to fight Parkinson's disease

An international team of scientists has used gene therapy in two separate studies to renew brain cells and restore normal movements in monkeys and rats with a drug-induced form of Parkinson's disease.

8 Feb 2005

New screening tool prevents wrong patients from receiving Parkinson's surgery

The allure of a new brain surgery technique to relieve the stiffness and shaking caused by Parkinson’s disease may lead to unnecessary operations, University of Florida researchers say, but a new screening tool they developed could prevent potentially dangerous procedures.

9 Aug 2004

Clinical trial established that two drugs, levodopa and pramipexole, are both viable initial treatments for Parkinson's disease

The four-year clinical trial established that two drugs, levodopa and pramipexole, are both viable initial treatments for Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.

3 Aug 2004

Clinical study compares treatments in early Parkinson's disease

University of Tennessee Health Science Center professor and vice chair of the Department of Neurology, Ronald F. Pfeiffer, M.D., has been an investigator with The Parkinson Study Group (PSG), which recently reported four-year results of a major long-term, multi-center clinical trial.

21 Jul 2004

Levodopa and pramipexole appear to be reasonable options as initial therapy for Parkinson disease

An article in the July issue of the Archives of Neurology reports that the drugs levodopa and pramipexole both appear to be reasonable options as initial therapy for Parkinson disease, but they are associated with different efficacy and adverse effects.

20 Jul 2004

Elevated homocysteine levels have been associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease

Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) who also have high levels of homocysteine (an amino acid produced by the body) are more likely to be depressed compared with other patients with PD who have normal levels of homocysteine

21 Jun 2004

IMPAX receives final FDA approval for generic version of Sinemet CR

IMPAX Laboratories, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval to the Company's Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Carbidopa/Levodopa Extended Release Tablets, its generic version of Sinemet(R) CR tablets.

17 May 2004

Britannia Pharmaceuticals’ partner receives FDA approval for Parkinson’s disease treatment

Britannia Pharmaceuticals Limited announced today that U.S.-based Bertek Pharmaceuticals Inc., the branded subsidiary of Mylan Laboratories Inc has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for APOKYN (apomorphine hydrochloride injection).

13 May 2004

Ritalin drug used to treat hyperactive children boosts the potency of Parkinson's drug levodopa

A well-known drug used to treat hyperactive children boosts the potency of another drug that reduces Parkinson's disease symptoms, an Oregon Health & Science University study has found.

6 May 2004

Antiepileptic drug Levetiracetam may help patients with Parkinson's disease

In patients with Parkinson's disease, the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam (Keppra(R)) reduced the involuntary movements (dyskinesia) associated with levodopa, the medication most commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease, according to a study presented today at the 56th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

29 Apr 2004

Research shows giving Tourette Syndrome patients the drug levodopa normalizes brain activity

Scientists have known for years that abnormal activity involving a brain chemical called dopamine is somehow connected to the movements and vocalizations, or tics, associated with Tourette syndrome. Now neuroscience researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found brain activity in these patients is abnormal during memory tasks, as well.

5 Apr 2004