Accordion pill comprising levodopa for an improved treatment of parkinson's disease symptoms

Abstract

The invention provides for the use of an accordion pill comprising levodopa for the treatment of symptoms of Parkinson's disease in a subject in need thereof over a 24 hour period, to be administered to the subject in a twice daily administration regimen, with an interval of about 8 to about 10 hours between the first dose and the second dose, and with an interval of about 14 to about 16 hours between the second dose and the first dose of the following day. The twice daily administration regimen provides a stable blood plasma level of levodopa in the subject after multiple administrations and is effective in treating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease over a 24 hour period.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to the use of multi-layered, biodegradable, gastroretentive drug formulations, known as the Accordion Pill, for the controlled release of carbidopa / levodopa in an improved method of treatment of Parkinson's Disease symptoms.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Levodopa (LD) is the most effective drug for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). No other medical or surgical therapy currently available has been shown to provide anti-Parkinson benefits superior to what can be achieved with LD. However, following few years of LD treatment, the actions of each dose tend to wear off in the majority of PD patients. This wearing off between doses is strongly correlated to the drug's peripheral pharmacokinetic (PK) profile. The patients may find themselves during the day in either ON state, when the patients are capable of normal movement, or in OFF state, wherein the patients suffer from impaired movement. As the disease pr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

This patent describes an invention that provides a method for treating symptoms of Parkinson's disease using an accordion pill containing levodopa. The pill is designed to be taken twice a day, with an interval of about 8 to about 10 hours between doses and an interval of about 14 to about 16 hours between the second dose and the first dose the following day. The stable blood plasma levels of levodopa achieved through this method help to effectively treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease over a 24-hour period. Additionally, the invention provides a method for improving sleep quality and alleviating or eliminating symptoms of morning arkinesia or morning dystonia by using the accordion pill containing levodopa and administering it at bed time.

Problems solved by technology

No other medical or surgical therapy currently available has been shown to provide anti-Parkinson benefits superior to what can be achieved with LD.

However, following few years of LD treatment, the actions of each dose tend to wear off in the majority of PD patients.

These fluctuations are often accompanied by troublesome diskinesias in ON state and deep OFF state, wherein movement is severely impaired.

Hence, a significant pill burden is another major concern, associated with LD treatment.

Available controlled-release preparations of LD currently on the market do not maintain sufficiently high LD plasma levels.

Another concern with current LD treatment is that rapid elimination of LD and lack of means to sustain relevant LD levels for prolonged time intervals lead to the absence of sufficiently high LD plasma levels in patients in the morning, causing movement arrest and necessitating ultra-rapid LD dosage forms, generally unavailable on the market, or parenteral preparations which are cumbersome for self administration in deep OFF state.

Hence, the challenge is to develop an oral, effective long-acting LD regimen that provides significantly more continuous and stable relevant LD plasma levels over 24 hours, with reduced Total OFF Time and significantly reduced doses per day, preferably a twice-daily dosing.

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