LAFC,

I am pretty confident it will be approved and I suspect that the high price tag may drop when it hits our market. I also predicted that it will be approved in 2013 the same year DBS goes generic. If they were only going to use it on people who are nursing home bound, why would they allow clinical trials on YO patients who clearly are not in late stage PD? They would have designed trials for people only at stages 4 or 5 which they did not do.

While I trust Aftermathman, I am curious why there are ambulatory middle aged and younger on Youtube showing on/off differences and reviewing the pump, showing how to use it. Just type in Duodopa at YouTube.

Finally we have word on good authority heard by one of NT most active advocates when consulting with a very prominent researcher and practicing PD doctor. He said it would likely be approved next year; delay is that they are streamlining the pump, and results were "astounding"!

Think of the number of patients now suffering who do not qualify for DBS. This is more than we think...you have to go through weeks of testing including neuropsychological battery. If you have any clinical depression or anxiety; from what I have heard, you do not qualify. There have been DBS affiliated suicides. How would it sound for Abbott to say we have this great new treatment but zap you can't have it because too pricy? It makes much more sense to flood market and sell more drug at a lower cost. They will make so much more profit that way. Incidentally, I know of young women with PD in 20's and 30's who have sought relief from meds with DBS and they have young children! I think there will be a lot of PWP lining up for this thrilled that there is an intermediary option before brain surgery. I don't relish carrying meds around on my body but will take it over the pill megadoses; on/off fluctuations, and lead wires in my cranium. This is what I am banking on; maintaining that high price tag doesn't make much business sense.

BTW, why in the world does it cost that much? The technology is not new and neither is a levodopa suspension. Is the gel made of Unicorn tears or something? Seriously.

Laura