Hisamitsu announces positive Phase II results for Parkinson’s disease drug
 

Hisamitsu Pharma
Japanese drugmaker Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical’s (TYO: 4530) has announced the results of a Phase II clinical study for a transdermal drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in Japan

The efficacy and safety of the HP-3000 (ropinirole hydrochloride) were compared with a placebo in patients with Parkinson’s disease who concomitantly used L-dopa (levodopa). A statistically significant difference was confirmed for improvement in the primary efficacy endpoint compared with the placebo group.

The product is a transdermal formulation developed using Hisamitsu’s TDDS (Transdermal Drug Delivery System) technology. Hisamitsu aims to initiate a Phase III clinical study later this year.

A company statement said: “We expect the product to be a new option for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease by realizing its long-lasting effect by means of maintaining a stable blood concentration.”

A Phase II clinical study of the product started last year for moderate to severe idiopathic restless leg syndrome.

Hisamitsu, Parkinson’s disease, HP-3000

Yet another patch ...
 

Lazy science, to anyone still wondering why ldopa is king after 40 years it's due to "products" of little value like this one.

Just what the world of pd needs, another patch.

Neil.

i'm not going to completely blow this off, a single patch or pill with less side affects than the oral equivalent would improve one's quality of life compared to taking sinemet every 3 hrs. especially if you still work, have young children or are a caregiver.

the trial was adding it to sinemet, not replacing it. so would like to read the entire article. and see a study where they compare it against oral ropinorole XL.

i should say a "cheap" patch and that ain't going to happen.

I still have this unproven theory that nasal l-dopa would meet our needs better, you could take less oral l-dopa and then top up as needed with the nasal l-dopa rather than have to take more oral l-dopa than you need just to be "safe" or longer lasting agonists and deal with their potential side affects.

If we are to judge the work as science, it is not that interesting. But if we judge it as engineering, it seems to me to be good stuff: a few percentage improvement in the QOL here, and a couple of percent improvement there, soon adds up.

If we could halve the severity of the symptoms or halve the rate of progression, as a very rough estimate, the age structure of the disease is such that we would probably reduce PD's impact by 90%.

It seems to me that there's room for a multitude of approaches, from the deeply theoretical (a sort of general relativity of the brain) to the practical (e.g. an aid for putting socks on).

soccertese mentions nasal levodopa. I share his interest in this. I've tried a few experiments using Stalevo dissolved in orange juice fired from a nebulizer. Rather like Bill Clinton I haven't inhaled. Worries about the purity of the liquid are stopping me from progressing.

John