ADMINISTRATION OF LEVODOPA IN A PARKINSON’S PATIENT USING A NOVEL ORAL AND MAXILLOFACIAL ROUTE – A FIRST IN HUMAN STUDY

ABSTRACT Parkinson’s disease is characterized by loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons in the brain. Dopamine cannot be administered systemically as a treatment because dopamine does not cross the blood-brain-barrier. Oral levodopa is the gold standard till date. Currently, in patients who show poor response to oral levodopa, the drug can be delivered through alternate routes like inhalation and continuously by intestinal and subcutaneous routes. In this report, a novel oral and maxillofacial route was used for the first time in the world to administer levodopa in a Parkinson’s patient and its efficacy was compared with the oral route of administration.