Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Delayed ON is a condition in which Parkinson's disease (PD) patients do not experience the effect of levodopa in time after taking the dosage. The ability of various oral levodopa regimens to overcome this problem has been poorly investigated. To evaluate the efficacy of levodopa/benserazide dispersible tablets in PD patients with delayed ON to the first morning dose. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, crossover trial involved 40 eligible PD patients with delayed ON. The participants were randomized to receive either levodopa/benserazide 100 mg dispersible or regular tablets for 4 weeks, followed by a one-week wash-out interval and an alternate drug for another 4 weeks. Participants took the investigational drug with the first morning dose of their antiparkinsonian medications. Other medications were not changed during the trial. The primary outcome was changes in time-to-ON after the first-morning dose recorded in a special diary before and after each therapy. We also evaluated changes in parkinsonism, motor fluctuations, and dyskinesia using the Unified PD Rating Scale and the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale. Finally, we investigated whether efficacy was affected by Helicobacter pylori status via baseline serum samples from every participant. RESULTS: Nine patients dropped out during the trial. The time-to-ON was significantly reduced by the dispersible tablet compared with the regular tablet (-34.72 vs. -23.81 minutes, p=0.014). There were no significant changes in parkinsonian severity or dyskinesia with either drug. The dispersible formulation was beneficial for both Helicobacter pylori-positive and -negative groups. CONCLUSION: Levodopa/benserazide dispersible formulations can improve time-to-ON without exacerbating dyskinesia in PD patients suffering from delayed ON.