The Food and Drug Administration has approved a preventative drug, Apokyn, to treat Parkinson’s patients with immobility episodes.
The Bertek Pharmaceuticals’ drug is specifically for 10% of Parkinson’s patients, or about 112,000 people, who lose the ability to speak, rise from a chair or walk. This may happen during the first three to five years of treatment, when the standard anti-Parkinson’s drugs wear off between doses.
The injected Apokyn must be taken with other medication, however, because it may cause nausea and vomiting. The Research Triangle Park, NC-based company also warns against low blood pressure, fainting, hallucinations and excessive sleepiness.
