Gocovri is associated with improved long-term outcomes in Parkinson’s disease

This study investigated the long-term effectiveness and safety of amantadine extended-release (Gocovri) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and dyskinesia (DYS; unusual movements that a person cannot control). Researchers suggested that this treatment is associated with long-term improved outcomes.

PD is a chronic disease that affects brain cells. These cells lose their abilities causing symptoms such as tremors. The standard treatment is levodopa which is associated with long-term side effects such as DYS. Gocovri, is slowly released into the blood so its amounts in the body are more constant. This results in less variation of the drug in the blood, therefore preventing DYS.

Gocovri is already approved by the FDA, as the only drug to treat levodopa-induced DYS. However, too little is known about its long-term effectiveness and safety.

This study included information about 223 patients with PD treated with Levodopa. The average diagnosis time was 11.7 years and levodopa usage was 9.3 years. Patients received Gocovri 274 mg once daily before bedtime. 57.8% of enrolled patients, completed the trial with an average treatment time of 1.9 years.

Common side effects to treatment were falls (32.7%), hallucination (seeing things that are not there; 24.2%), swelling of the limbs (16.1%), constipation (13.5%) and urinary infection (10.3%). 31 patients (13.9%) stopped treatment because of severe side effects.  

Gocovri showed greater improvement when compared to placebo (a drug with no effect on the body) for up to 2 years. A significant improvement was also seen in the patients who did not receive Gocovri before. This included patients who had undergone DBS (deep brain stimulation) and/or switched to Gocovri from regular amantadine. However, results were similar for all groups by week 8 and remained like that for the duration of the trial (100 weeks).

This study concluded that Gocovri is associated with long-term effectiveness and safety in patients with PD.

This study was funded by Adamas Pharmaceuticals, the Gocovri manufacturer.