Following the news that  AbbVie has launched Produodopa (foscarbidopa/foslevodopa), to treat severe motor fluctuations in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the European Union (EU).

Christie Wong, Neurology Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“AbbVie’s Produodopa is the first-to-market subcutaneous infusion of levodopa. Produodopa uses a VYAFUSER pump that maintains a continuous steady flow of levodopa throughout the day to control motor fluctuations in the form of off-episodes, dyskinesia, and hyperkinesia. This novel delivery system of levodopa is expected to offer a non-invasive route of administration, reduce pill burden, and improve compliance while treating motor fluctuations in advanced PD patients.

“Produodopa is an alternative to AbbVie’s own Duodopa (levodopa/carbidopa), an intestinal gel administered with an external portable pump, connected to a permanent tube through endoscopic gastrostomy, launched in 2015. Key opinion leaders (KOLs) previously interviewed by GlobalData regarded the smaller size of the Produodopa pump as an advantage over Duodopa and it is a welcomed option that does not require invasive surgical procedures.

“However, Produodopa will compete with continuous subcutaneous infusion of apomorphine, Britannia Pharmaceuticals’ Apo-go pump, which has been prescribed as an adjunctive therapy in Europe for the past 20 years for patients who still experience motor complications, despite four or five doses of levodopa during the day.”

“But, when compared to the subcutaneous continuous infusion of apomorphine or levodopa, KOLs stated a preference for levodopa formulations as it is the naturally occurring precursor to dopamine that is converted in the brain. As such, Produodopa is expected to be the preferred subcutaneous delivery system.”

“Produodopa’s market entry will be followed by NeuroDerm’s ND-0612 continuous subcutaneous (carbidopa + levodopa) pump. GlobalData forecasts ND-0612 to launch in the EU in Q2 2025. KOLs noted that the administration of ND-0612 requires two injection entry points compared to Produodopa’s one. In addition, Produodopa may offer greater dosing flexibility, allowing higher concentrations of levodopa to be administered compared to ND-0612.”

“However, head-to-head clinical trials comparing the efficacy of Produodopa and ND-0612 do not appear to be on the horizon yet. Should ND-0612 receive approval, strong efficacy data, solid marketing, and competitive pricing will be needed to displace Produodopa as the first-choice levodopa subcutaneous pump for advanced PD patients.”