foscarbidopa/foslevodopa (Pending FDA Approval)

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Dosing & Uses

Parkinson Disease

Pending FDA approval for treatment of motor fluctuations in patients with advanced Parkinson disease (PD)

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Pharmacology

Mechanism of Action

Parkinson disease symptoms are associated with a loss of dopamine neurons in the brain

Foscarbidopa and foslevodopa are prodrugs of carbidopa and levodopa with increased solubility; this allows for a highly concentrated solution and enables administration by a minimally invasive continuous SC infusion to provide sustained therapeutic levels of plasma levodopa

Carbidopa

  • Inhibits aromatic amino-acid decarboxylase in peripheral tissues; this, in turn, inhibits peripheral breakdown of levodopa, thereby increasing availability of levodopa at blood-brain barrier and allowing a lower levodopa dose

Levodopa

  • Levodopa is a metabolic precursor of dopamine, a neurotransmitter depleted in Parkinson disease; crosses blood-brain barrier to be converted by striatal enzymes to dopamine
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Medscape prescription drug monographs are based on FDA-approved labeling information, unless otherwise noted, combined with additional data derived from primary medical literature.