First-Line Use of Parkinson’s Disease Therapies Showed a Modest Shift from Dopamine Agonists to Azilect and Levodopa Through Year-End 2010

Decision Resources Unveils New Online Platform for Its Treatment Algorithms Service

BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Decision Resources, one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds a modest shift from dopamine agonists to Teva/Lundbeck’s Azilect and levodopa in first-line treatment of newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients through year-end 2010. Examination of patient-level claims data in Treatment Algorithms in Parkinson’s Disease reveals first-line patient shares of dopamine agonists decreased among newly diagnosed patients, particularly in the fourth quarter of 2010: the same time period in which first-line patient shares of monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitors among newly diagnosed patients grew. Increasing use of MAO-B inhibitors is mostly attributed to Azilect, which demonstrated in the ADAGIO Phase III trial in early PD patients the ability to retard disease progression in addition to providing mild symptomatic relief from motor systems.

The analysis in Treatment Algorithms in Parkinson’s Disease also finds a modest but steady increase in first-line use of levodopa among newly diagnosed PD patients over the study period, indicative of a slight change in preference for levodopa over dopamine agonists for initial PD therapy.

“Azilect has continued to strengthen its position in early PD and the increase in its first-line patient share likely contributed to the declining patient shares of dopamine agonists in the same patient population. Growing concern over side effects associated with the use of dopamine agonists, such as impulse control disorders, also contributed to the reduction in first-line use of this drug class,” said Decision Resources Analyst Nadja Rozovsky, Ph.D. “Yet, despite the overall decline observed in first-line use of dopamine agonists among newly diagnosed patients, some therapies within this class nonetheless maintained or grew their PD market presence. GlaxoSmithKline’s Requip XL, for example, showed relatively constant first-line therapy use among newly diagnosed patients and Boehringer Ingelheim’s Mirapex ER has seen its patient share increase among the same patient population.”

Enhanced Service and Platform Now Available

The analysis is part of Decision Resources’ enhanced Treatment Algorithms series, which features a new online platform. Interactive, user-friendly and with more graphical data views, the new platform enables users to easily toggle between diseases and time cohorts, which ultimately allows for more in-depth analysis of each line of therapy. Treatment Algorithms analysis is now updated quarterly to provide ongoing trending of product utilization by line of therapy and new therapy initiations. Through examination of U.S. patient-level claims data, Decision Resources’ Treatment Algorithms series provides exceptional insight into physicians’ prescribing trends, from diagnosis through multiple courses of treatment, for a specific disease.

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