title: Initiating levodopa/carbidopa therapy with and without entacapone in early Parkinson disease: the STRIDE-PD study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  L-dopa is the most widely used and most effective therapy for Parkinson disease (PD), but chronic treatment is associated with motor complications in the majority of patients. It has been hypothesized that providing more continuous delivery of L-dopa to the brain would reduce the risk of motor complications, and that this might be accomplished by combining L-dopa with entacapone, an inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase, to extend its elimination half-life.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a prospective 134-week double-blind trial comparing the risk of developing dyskinesia in 747 PD patients randomized to initiate L-dopa therapy with L-dopa/carbidopa (LC) or L-dopa/carbidopa/entacapone (LCE), administered 4x daily at 3.5-hour intervals. The primary endpoint was time to onset of dyskinesia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In comparison to LC, patients receiving LCE had a shorter time to onset of dyskinesia (hazard ratio, 1.29; p = 0.04) and increased frequency at week 134 (42% vs 32%; p = 0.02). These effects were more pronounced in patients receiving dopamine agonists at baseline. Time to wearing off and motor scores were not significantly different, but trended in favor of LCE treatment. Patients in the LCE group received greater L-dopa dose equivalents than LC-treated patients (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Initiating L-dopa therapy with LCE failed to delay the time of onset or reduce the frequency of dyskinesia compared to LC. In fact, LCE was associated with a shorter time to onset and increased frequency of dyskinesia compared to LC. These results may reflect that the treatment protocol employed did not provide continuous L-dopa availability and the higher L-dopa dose equivalents in the LCE group.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, IRCCS San Raffaele Pisana, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stocchi
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rascol
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kieburtz
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Poewe
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jankovic
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tolosa
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barone
authors.forename: Anthony E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: C Warren
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Olanow
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002230:Carbidopa / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D065098:Catechol O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors; D002396:Catechols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018450:Disease Progression; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009570:Nitriles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012306:Risk; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D065098:Catechol O-Methyltransferase Inhibitors; D002396:Catechols; D015259:Dopamine Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009570:Nitriles; D007980:Levodopa; C071192:entacapone; D002230:Carbidopa