Phase 2b Results of Parkinson’s Disease Drug Presented by Acorda

Daniela Semedo, PhD

April 27, 2016

Acorda Therapeutics recently presented results from a Phase 2b study of its investigational drug CVT-301 in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) at the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Vancouver, Canada.

“Approximately 350,000 people with PD in the U.S. experience OFF periods, which can be very disruptive. There is a great need for additional treatment options that improve motor function when an OFF period occurs,” said Dr. Burkhard Blank, M.D., interim chief medical officer of Acorda, in a press release.

“Based on the results of the CVT-301 Phase 2b study, we initiated a Phase 3 trial to continue evaluating the safety and efficacy of CVT-301. Inhaled levodopa, or CVT-301, is being studied as a novel approach to treating OFF periods, which can be one of the most challenging aspects of PD,” Blank said.

The study, “Inhaled Levodopa (CVT-301) Provides Rapid Improvement of OFF States in Parkinson’s Disease,” was presented by Peter LeWitt, M.D., M.Med.Sc., director of the PD and Movement Disorders Program at Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield, Michigan, and professor of neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine.

This presentation was one of six nominated for the Movement Disorders Invited Science Session on April 19.

CVT-301 is a self-administered, inhaled levodopa (L-dopa) therapy for the episodic treatment of OFF periods in patients with Parknson’s, and is being developed to provide delivery of a precise dose of L-dopa through the lungs to return people with Parkinson’s to an ON state. OFF periods are times when background L-dopa therapy does not control the symptoms of Parkinson’s. About 50 percent of patients using L-dopa have OFF periods, which are very disruptive to PD patients as well as their families and caregivers. The frequency and severity of these episodes increases during the course of the disease.

In addition to the Invited Science Session, Acorda presented these two posters with data from the CVT-301 trial:

• “Patients’ experience of Parkinson’s disease following treatment with inhaled levodopa: results from a phase 2b study”;
• “Effect of patient characteristics on motor function in response to 35-50 mg of inhaled levodopa (CVT-301) in patients with Parkinson’s disease: results from a phase 2b study.

http://parkinsonsnewstoday.com/2016/04/27/phase-2b-data-on-inhaled-levodopa-cvt-301-featured-in-invited-science-session-at-american-academy-of-neurology-aan-annual-meeting/