While levodopa is the gold standard therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD), current delivery methods have their limitations. Many patients who take it experience "off" periods, when the medication's effects wear off before they are ready to take their next dose, leaving them in a state where symptoms like lack of mobility may return. Those taking levodopa also risk developing dyskinesias, the excessive and uncontrollable movements that are among the most difficult aspects of the disease to manage.
But finding a more consistent method of delivering levodopa could help to minimize both "off" periods and dyskinesias alike.
In this podcast, Dave Iverson speaks with Foundation CEO Dr. Todd Sherer about some novel approaches to improving levodopa delivery that could, in the future, lead to better drugs for PD — and for patients.