The drug Levodopa is more effective than newer alternatives at treating newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the long term, according to the largest-ever trial of PD treatment in the UK.
The PD MED trial randomised 1,620 people with early PD with either levodopa, a dopamine-replacement therapy, or the alternative therapies known as dopamine agonists and monoamine oxidase type B inhibitors, which prevent the metabolism of dopamine in the brain.
Patients in the levodopa group daily reported better scores in daily living, stigma, communication, and bodily discomfort.
Study leader Professor Richard Gray said the results provided some certainty about the differences in benefits between treatment with these different classes of PD drugs.
Read more at Oxford University