On Dec. 21th 2018, the FDA approved Acorda Therapeutics' inhaled levodopa drug, sold under the trade name INBRIJA, for use as a transitional treatment in the so-called off-period for Parkinson's disease.In phase iii clinical trials, the product improved motor function in patients with Parkinson's disease during shutdown compared with placebo, and the UPDRS index was degraded by about 4 points more than placebo (9.83 vs. 5.91).Acorda has not released a price, but estimates the product has a market capacity of $800 million.INBRIJA will enter the market early next year.
Acorda came to this product from Civatis, which it bought for $525m in 2014, then called cvt-301.Levodopa is the mainstay of treatment for Parkinson's disease, which affects about 1 million people in the United States, of whom 700,000 use levodopa.However, patients with long-term use will gradually appear 1-3 hours a day, the so-called shutdown period, that is, the failure of levodopa.There are several transitional therapies, each with its own side effects.INBRIJA is administered through the lungs and is said to reach peak blood levels faster, making it ideal for a transitional treatment that requires only short-term administration but requires rapid response.Sunovion Pharmaceuticals also has a levodopa drug, apl-130277, coming out next year, and several companies are developing new levodopa pumps, so the market is crowded.
