NICE recommends first Parkinson’s treatment

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended AbbVie’s foslevodopa–foscarbidopa (Produodopa) as a treatment option for advanced Parkinson’s.

The treatment is administered by an infusion pump over 24 hours. A benefit of the device is its small size, in addition to its portability and the fact it can be refilled at home. This is the first technology appraisal from NICE to look at a treatment for Parkinson’s.

Current Parkinson’s treatments

Currently, oral treatment with levodopa and carbidopa is the standard first-line treatment for Parkinson’s. However, once disease progression occurs, additional treatments may be required.

In foslevodopa–foscarbidopa is delivered to the body, foslevodopa is turned into dopamine. Taking foslevodopa with foscarbidopa increases the availability of foslevodopa in the brain, NICE stated.

Foslevodopa–foscarbidopa – a new option for advanced Parkinson’s

Positively, having more continuous dopamine control with foslevodopa–foscarbidopa could reduce the need for some other treatments or allow them to be stopped, it was highlighted in NICE’s final draft guidance.

As a potential new option for advanced Parkinson’s, Abbvie requested that foslevodopa–foscarbidopa is considered only for individuals who cannot have apomorphine or deep brain stimulation surgery, or for when these medicines are no longer effective in controlling symptoms. This treatment was only considered as an alternative to standard oral treatment and levodopa–carbidopa intestinal gel, NICE noted.

“Foslevodopa–foscarbidopa represents an important new treatment for people with advanced Parkinson’s, providing an easy-to-use option that can help them manage their symptoms more reliably and effectively.

“This is the first time NICE has approved a treatment for Parkinson’s and comes after NICE was able to work with [Abbvie] to address the issues that had initially prevented a positive recommendation,” explained Helen Knight, Director of Medicines Evaluation at NICE.

Once available on the NHS, foslevodopa–foscarbidopa is set to benefit around 900 patients with advanced Parkinson’s, according to NICE.