New weekly injection to offer steady Parkinson’s medication, cut need for daily pills

A team of scientists in Australia, led by those of Indian origin, has developed a new once-a-week injectable drug that could transform the lives of more than eight million people living with Parkinson's disease, potentially replacing the need for multiple daily tablets.

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Frequent dosing is a burden, especially for elderly patients or those with swallowing difficulties, leading to inconsistent medication levels, more side effects, and reduced effectiveness.

To address this, the team from the University of South Australia (UniSA) developed a long-acting injectable formulation that delivers a steady dose of levodopa and carbidopa -- two key medications for Parkinson's -- over an entire week.

The biodegradable formulation is injected under the skin or into muscle tissue, where it gradually releases the medication over seven days, noted the researchers in the paper published in the journal Drug Delivery and Translational Research.