Source: Viartis
5th November 2008 - News release
NEW DOSAGES OF STALEVO
One of the major problems in medicine is inappropriate dosages. Either dosages are insufficient to rid symptoms, or more commonly are excessive. Excessive dosages can be tempting because they can completely rid symptoms. However, they often cause a biochemical reaction called "feedback inhibition". Feedback inhibition causes the body to counteract the effect of any drug by reducing the very same function that the drug is attempting to increase. Consequently, excessive dosages can eventually cause the same very same medical problem that it is attempting to treat. Dopamine is produced naturally in the brain. For more information go to the Biochemistry of Parkinson's Disease. Parkinson's Disease drugs greatly interfere with this natural formation of dopamine.
Stalevo consists of L-dopa and Carbidopa (as does Sinemet), and also Entacapone, which prolongs their effect. It is seen by many as a more effective drug than Sinemet. New dosages of Stalevo have been approved for use in the U.S.A.. The approval of Stalevo 75 and 125 tablets (18.75 mg carbidopa, 75 mg levodopa, 200 mg entacapone and 31.25 mg carbidopa, 125 mg levodopa, 200 mg entacapone, respectively) provides physicians with options that may enable more customized approaches to treating people with Parkinson's Disease. This enables them to avoid dosages that are excessive to the patients needs. These new dosage strengths complement the already existing Stalevo 50, 100, 150 and 200 tablets. For more information go to the Complete article.
The U.S. patents for Stalevo have been challenged. The challenger, Wockhardt, has filed a new drug-marketing application based on this challenge, that would enable them to produce and market a generic version of Stalevo in 12.5, 200 and 50 mg strengths. For more information go to the Complete article.
Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
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