Effects of Safinamide on Motor Complications and Pain in Advancing Parkinson’s Disease – Post Hoc Analyses of Pivotal Trials

Abstract

Chronic levodopa (l-dopa) treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients is associated with motor complications (fluctuations and dyskinesias), which limit l-dopa efficacy and require drug therapy adjustments. Moreover, patients often experienced many non-motor symptoms, such as pain, which have a major impact on their quality of life. The neuropathology of PD has shown that complex, interconnected neuronal systems, regulated by a number of different neurotransmitters in addition to dopamine, are involved in the aetiology of motor and non-motor symptoms. Safinamide is a water-soluble, orally active aminoamide derivative that modulates dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission with a new and unique dual mechanism of action. Safinamide has been recently approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of fluctuating PD patients as add-on therapy to l-dopa alone or in combination with other antiparkinson drugs. This article summarises the results of thepost hocanalyses of the long-term efficacy of safinamide on motor complications and pain performed in three pivotal clinical trials.