REPORT FROM THE 67TH AMERICAN ACADEMY OF NEUROLOGY (AAN) ANNUAL MEETING – WASHINGTON DC, APRIL 18-25, 2015 – The GLORIA non-interventional study recently reported interim results of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) in the routine management of patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (Antonini et al. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2015;21:231-235).

A total of 375 patients from 75 movement disorder clinics received continuous LCIG infusion into the jejunum via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. The mean dose at the first visit was 1304 mg/day, and remained stable throughout the 12-month observation period. At month 12, there were reductions from baseline in mean daily Off time (-4.7 hours) and On time (-1.7 hours) with LCIG. UPDRS II and III On scores decreased, and Non-Motor Symptoms Scale and PDQ-8 scores improved.

A subgroup analysis has now examined treatment efficacy in 114 patients with >4 hours dyskinesia at baseline (Poewe et al. AAN 2015; abstract P1.192). At 12 months, the duration of dyskinesia was reduced by two or more hours in 69% of subjects. The mean change from baseline of total waking hours with dyskinesia was -3 hours.

Results were consistent with those previously reported in the one-year study of LCIG in advanced Parkinson’s disease by the Horizon study group (Olanow et al. Lancet Neurol 2014;13:141-149).

Guest Reviewer: Dr. Daniel Selchen, Head of Neurology, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada