AbbVie's Parkinson's disease drug improves patient mobility in late-stage study

AbbVie's experimental drug to treat early Parkinson's disease helped significantly improve patients' ability to carry out daily tasks such as eating and walking, months after the drugmaker disclosed its success in a separate study.

 

The late-stage study tested the safety and efficacy of flexible doses of the once-daily drug, tavapadon, ranging from 5 milligrams (mg) to 15 mg, as a monotherapy, the company said on Monday.

AbbVie acquired the drug through its $8.7 billion purchase of Cerevel Therapeutics last year as its rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira, once the world's best-selling treatment, faces a sharp fall in sales due to competition from close copies.

"Although questions remain on tavapadon's competitive profile, this shows at least some payoff for the Cerevel transaction," said Piper Sandler analyst Christopher Raymond.

More than $40 billion was wiped off from AbbVie's market value last month after a schizophrenia drug acquired through the Cerevel deal failed in two separate studies.

In September, two fixed doses of tavapadon as a monotherapy had shown significant improvement in patients in a late-stage study.

The majority of side effects reported, such as nausea, headache, and dry mouth, were mild to moderate in severity.

AbbVie plans to submit a marketing application to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration next year.

The study enrolled 304 adults between the ages of 40 and 80, who had the disease for less than three years.

There are an estimated 1 million people in the U.S. living with Parkinson's, a progressive neurological disorder that impairs the brain's nerve cells, thereby affecting the production of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that regulates functions such as memory, movement, and mood.

There is no known cure for the disease, and available treatments only help alleviate symptoms.

The established standard of care for the disease, levodopa, acts as a dopamine replacement agent. Tavapadon belongs to a class of drugs known as dopamine agonists, which activate the dopamine receptors.