The FDA Has Approved a New Drug to Help Manage Parkinson’s Symptoms
The Food and Drug Administration has approved Xadago (safinamide), an add-on treatment for people with Parkinson’s disease who are taking the medication levodopa/carbidopa.
The new drug works during “off episodes”—periods of time when levodopa/carbidopa’s effectiveness wanes, and is meant to reduce symptoms such as tremors and difficulty walking.
Parkinson’s disease affects the nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in the smooth movement of the human body. As a result, a person with Parkinson’s suffers from muscle rigidity, tremors and changes in speech. There is no cure for the disease, and treatments are only a means of temporarily relieving symptoms.
About 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s over the course of a year. The U.S. National Institutes of Health estimates that roughly one million Americans total are living with the disorder—most of whom are over the age of 60.