Introduction: The most widely used pharmacological treatment for Parkinson's disease is levodopa, the precursor for dopamine formation in the brain. Over time, the effectiveness of levodopa declines, and patients experience motor fluctuations, or OFF periods. A levodopa formulation administered via a capsule-based oral inhaler provides a new delivery mechanism for levodopa that provides rapid relief of OFF periods.Areas covered: CVT-301 is a dry powder formulation designed to supply levodopa to the systemic circulation via pulmonary absorption. The technology, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety data of this formulation are presented.Expert opinion: Oral inhalation is a novel method of administration for levodopa that bypasses the gastrointestinal tract, allowing levodopa to enter the systemic circulation rapidly and more reliably than oral medications. Gastrointestinal dysfunction, a common feature of Parkinson's disease, can lead to impaired absorption of oral medications. Pulmonary delivery rapidly elevates levodopa plasma concentrations to provide relief of OFF periods for patients receiving oral levodopa.
Keywords: Dry powder inhalers; Parkinson’s disease; inhaled therapy; levodopa; motor fluctuations; off periods.