Therapeutic value of Madopar HBS: judgment after 2 years experience.
The study included 19 parkinsonian patients presenting with fluctuations in motor performance after L-dopa therapy (9.9 years on average, range 6 months to 17 years) and 2 other patients not pretreated with L-dopa. In all patients of the first group, after 3 months on stable 'optimal' dosage schedule, the previous L-dopa treatment was abruptly replaced, dose for dose, from one day to another by Madopar HBS, a new controlled-release form of Madopar. The first clinical assessment was performed just before the beginning of the HBS treatment. Then, 4-6 weeks were allowed to optimize the dosage schedule of Madopar HBS before performing a second assessment. Long-term therapeutic effects were systematically evaluated after 6 and 12 months. Catamnestic evaluation took place at the last check-up for patients treated for more than 1 year. Of the 19 patients with fluctuations 1 dropped out after 7 days due to lack of cooperation. Thus, 18 of these patients were evaluable. At the end of the dose adaptation phase 12 patients (2/3) were better controlled by the new dosage form and were eligible for a long-term follow-up aiming to evaluate the maintenance of the benefit. It was concluded that in most of the patients the initial benefit was maintained during 1 year and even up to 2 years and 7 months for some of them. The best results were obtained in patients with mild to moderate forms of fluctuations (early stage). Positive results in de novo cases need confirmation.
Neurochirurgische Klinik, Universitätsspital, Zürich, Switzerland.
J
J
Siegfried
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001545:Benserazide / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004338:Drug Combinations / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006834:Hydrazines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007980:Levodopa / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology
D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006834:Hydrazines; C005177:benserazide, levodopa drug combination; D007980:Levodopa; D001545:Benserazide