title: Safinamide for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Non-dopaminergic neurotransmitter systems are also involved in its pathomechanism. The aim of the treatment is to improve the dopamine-deficient state and to alleviate the motor and the non-motor symptoms. Safinamide is an α-aminoamide derivative with a combined, dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic mode of action. Phase III clinical trials with safinamide, as add-on therapy to a dopamine agonist (DAA) and to levodopa (LD) in early and advanced stage PD, respectively, demonstrated an improvement of the motor symptoms.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review discusses the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of safinamide and provides an overview of the clinical trials conducted with safinamide in PD. A literature search was made in PubMed for safinamide, safinamide pharmacokinetics, PD treatment and monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors, and in PubMed and on the ClinicalTrials.gov site for clinical trials with safinamide in PD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The place of safinamide in the therapy of PD is yet to be determined. However, the authors believe that safinamide is a valuable drug in the treatment of PD treatment with favorable pharmacokinetic and side-effect profiles. Data so far suggest that it can be used beneficially as add-on therapy both to DAAs in early PD and to LD in the later stages of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Szeged , H-6725 Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6 , Hungary.
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dézsi
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vécsei
mesh_terms: D000409:Alanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000818:Animals; D001596:Benzylamines / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001596:Benzylamines; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; C092797:safinamide; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; D000409:Alanine