UPDATE (January 11, 2018) -- Earlier this week, Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the commercial launch of Gocovri (amantadine extended release capsules) for the treatment of dyskinesia in people with Parkinson's who are taking levodopa. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Gocovri in August 2017 and the medication has been available for patient and physician use since October 2017. The commercial launch marks the deployment of 59 neurology field sales professionals who will educate the community about the benefits and safety of Gocovri.
Adamas Pharmaceuticals yesterday announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of an extended-release formulation of amantadine (GOCOVRI) to treat dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD). This is the first drug indicated specifically for dyskinesia -- uncontrolled, involuntary movements that can develop with long-term levodopa use.
Extended-release amantadine is intended to be taken once daily at bedtime. In this way it can control dyskinesia during the day, when it typically is most prevalent. The new therapy's approval is based on data from three placebo-controlled trials that demonstrated safety and efficacy. In addition to easing dyskinesia, the drug also may lessen total daily "off" time, when Parkinson's symptoms return because medication is not working optimally.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) helped move this drug to market by supporting the creation and authentication of the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale, a tool that was used to measure the drug's impact in trials.
"Dyskinesia can significantly compromise quality of life for people with Parkinson's," says Todd Sherer, MJFF CEO. "We are pleased that patients have another option to manage this aspect of the disease and glad the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale -- a tool our support helped develop and validate -- could show clinical efficacy of GOCOVRI for the treatment of dyskinesia."
Extended-release amantadine is a reformulation of a currently available generic immediate-release version, which is approved to treat Parkinson's symptoms. (Read more about this and other medications for Parkinson's disease.)