"New research provides evidence that an old drug may provide relief for people with advanced Parkinsons according to a study  https today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurologys th Annual Meeting https in Boston April  to  . When it comes to the treatment of Parkinsons disease the oral drug levodopa has long been considered the gold standard improving quality of life and longevity. But as the disease progresses the effects of the medication can partially wear off more quickly after each dose leaving people to experience off time which are periods of immobility related to temporary unresponsiveness to medication. Parkinsons symptoms such as slowness and muscle rigidity often make movement difficult. If a person with Parkinsons disease can reduce their off times that can have a great impact on their everyday life said study author Regina Katzenschlager MD of Danube Hospital affiliated with the Medical University of Vienna Austria. In some patients in the trial the insecurity of unpredictable periods of incapacity was completely alleviated. The drug apomorphine first produced in  was first used to treat advanced Parkinsons disease in the United States in . Its use grew in the s when European doctors starting using subcutaneous infusions of the drug to treat fluctuations in mobility that could not be controlled by the pills. Despite its use in many countries of the world highlevel evidence from randomized blinded studies of its effectiveness and safety has up until now been lacking. In this phase III study researchers recruited  people with advanced Parkinsons disease from  centers in seven countries. Participants were randomly selected to receive either apomorphine subcutaneous infusion or a placebo saline infusion. The infusion was administered over a period of  to  hours each day via a small portable pump similar to the sort used in the treatment of type  diabetes. The study found that those who were given apomorphine had a significantly greater reduction of off time than those who were given the placebo infusion with on average . hours less off time per day while those who received the placebo infusion had an average  minutes per day reduction in off time. This improvement was apparent within the first week of treatment. At the same time for those who received apomorphine there was an increase of on time without the abnormal involuntary movements known as dyskinesias that are often observed with levodopa. Participants were also asked to evaluate how well they thought the treatment worked. Those who received apomorphine gave their treatment higher scores at week  than those who received the placebo infusion. In the apomorphine group  percent of patients felt improved compared to  percent on placebo whereas  percent worsened on apomorphine compared to  percent on placebo. Apomorphine was generally well tolerated and there were no serious side effects. It is our hope that these findings confirming the efficacy of apomorphine infusion will encourage doctors in the United States to offer this treatment to their patients and assess its efficacy in their own clinical practice said Katzenschlager. The study was supported by Britannia Pharmaceuticals Ltd. the maker of apomorphine. Learn more about Parkinsons disease at  httppatients.aan.com. The American Academy of Neurology is the worlds largest association of neurologists and neuroscience professionals with  members. The AAN is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patientcentered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimers disease stroke migraine multiple sclerosis concussion Parkinsons disease and epilepsy."