Health Beat: DUOPA for Parkinson's patients

Jan 28, 2016

Melanie Falcon , Anchor / Reporter, MFalcon@wfmz.com

Retired orthopedic surgeon James Moore has been fighting Parkinson's disease for 15 years. His body was absorbing the Levidopa pills he took to control his Parkinson's unpredictably, meaning it didn't always work. "It might take me 20 minutes to walk 40 yards," Moore said. He heard about a clinical trial for DUOPA, a gel of Levidopa and Carbidopa delivered by a portable infusion pump. It bypasses the stomach and goes straight into the small intestines for 16 hours. His wife convinced him to sign up.

"I didn't know how great it would be at all, and boy, am I glad I did it, or my wife made sure I did it, because it really has changed my life," Moore explained. Dr. Daniel Truong, a neurologist at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, said the biggest benefit is consistent drug delivery and absorption. "With this drug, you know it's there and it will go directly to the place where it'll be absorbed," Truong said. Now, instead of waiting 45 minutes for a pill to work, the infusion gets Moore on his way in two. "I still have my honey-do list that I keep getting all the time," he exclaimed, and he's planning to play more golf.

Moore has been on DUOPA for four years now.  "The drug is effective over a 16-hour period every day the patient uses the therapy," Truong said. It is unknown how long it will be effective. There's just not enough information yet. He also said DUOPA is for advanced Parkinson's cases. Patients need to exhaust conventional treatment first. 

http://www.wfmz.com/lifestyle/Health-Beat/Health-Beat-DUOPA-for-Parkinson-s-patients/37691456