A study testing a new drug to treat levodopa-induced dyskinesia has enrolled its first patient. Avanir Pharmaceutical’s clinical trial—funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation—will compare AVP-923 to a placebo to test its efficacy in relieving dyskinesia, involuntary movements associated with long-term use of levodopa, the current gold standard for Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment.
The study will enroll approximately 16 Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients across three study centers in Toronto, Canada; Chicago, Illinois; and Portland, Oregon. Study participants will receive, in a random order, a two-week treatment with AVP-923 and a two-week placebo treatment, separated by a two-week break. At the end of each two-week treatment period, patients will receive a two-hour levodopa infusion to test the drug effect on dyskinesia. Patients will be carefully monitored throughout the six-week study for side effects, Parkinson's symptoms and general health status.
AVP-923 also is being studied in agitation in Alzheimer's disease and pain in multiple sclerosis.
