Patient share of Teva/Lundbeck's Azilect for Parkinson's continues to grow

Through examination of US patient-level claims data, that patient share of Azilect (rasagiline) - from Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (Nasdaq: TEVA) and Denmark’s Lundbeck (LUN: CO) -  among recently-treated Parkinson’s disease patients continues to grow, increasing 8% between the fourth quarter of 2010 and the fourth quarter of 2011, according to a new report from health care advisory firm Decision Resources.

Use of Azilect may be driven in part by its milder side effect profile compared with selegiline (Somerset Pharmaceuticals’ Eldepryl, generics), making Azilect a safer treatment choice among monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitors. Among recently treated patients who progressed to Azilect, the majority added the agent to their preceding line of therapy rather than discontinue the preceding line. Additionally, most patients progressed to Azilect from generic levodopa-carbidopa fixed-dose combinations, with the majority of these patients adding Azilect to levodopa-carbidopa therapy.

“Parkinson’s disease patients moving from levodopa-carbidopa treatment to Azilect or adding Azilect to their levodopa-carbidopa therapy likely need additional treatment to control motor symptoms. Azilect’s mild side effect profile along with data suggesting possible disease-modifying capabilities make it the preferred MAO-B inhibitor,” said DR director Nicole Westphal, adding: “Azilect maintains a leading position among branded Parkinson’s disease agents, reflecting physicians’ use of the agent across the treatment algorithm, including using the drug as an early-line therapy to delay the need for levodopa, as a later-line therapy ahead of the initiation of levodopa therapy or as a later-line therapy as an add-on to levodopa.”