Provided by Parkinson & Movement Disorder Alliance

Pharmacological treatment of Parkinson’s disease has evolved over time from the first landmark trials of L-dopa through today’s newer formulations and adjunctive medications. This session describes the landmark medication trials that every clinician should know and the major lessons drawn from each, with a focus on the evolution that has led to improved control of parkinsonian symptoms.

Estimated time to complete activity: 40 minutes

Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, this activity has been planned and implemented by PMD Alliance.  PMD Alliance is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation

Physician Continuing Medical Education

PMD Alliance designates this course for a maximum of .75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  

Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Target Audience

This course is for movement disorder specialists, neurologists, advanced practice providers, and other healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with a movement or related disorder.

Educational Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe the mechanisms of action and therapeutic targets of key dopaminergic medications used in Parkinson’s disease
• Describe the mechanisms of action and therapeutic targets of key dopaminergic medications used in Parkinson’s disease
• Describe the mechanisms of action and therapeutic targets of key dopaminergic medications used in Parkinson’s disease

Faculty

Stuart H. Isaacson, MD, FAAN
Director, Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Boca Raton

Stuart H. Isaacson, MD, FAAN is the Director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Boca Raton in Florida, USA. Dr. Isaacson received his medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. He completed fellowships at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland, and in NYC at Mount Sinai Medical Center under Melvin Yahr, Warren Olanow, and Mitchell Brin. In 1999, Dr. Isaacson established the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center of Boca Raton, where he directs a team of movement disorder neurologists and clinical coordinators combining a holistic approach to medical therapy with access to one of the largest Parkinson’s clinical trial centers in the US. He has been involved in over 250 clinical trials, and has served as Principal Investigator and on steering committees for many drug development programs, seeking to advance emerging symptomatic, nonmotor, and disease-modifying therapies. Dr. Isaacson has authored or co-authored over 200 journal articles, abstracts, and book chapters, and has presented research results at international scientific meetings.

Disclosure of Relevant Financial Relationships

Parkinson and Movement Disorder Alliance (PMD Alliance) requires faculty, planners, and others in control of educational content to disclose all their financial relationships with ineligible companies.  PMD Alliance is committed to providing its learners with high quality accredited continuing education activities and related materials that promote improvements or quality in healthcare and not a specific proprietary business interest of an ineligible company.

Faculty reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CME activity:

• Stuart H. Isaacson, MD
• Site investigator for research supported by Abbvie, Biogen, Biovie Inc., Cala Health, Cerevel, Enterin Inc., Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Lundbeck, Neurocrine, Neuroderm, Novartis, Pharma 2 B Ltd., Praxis Precision Medicines, Revance, Roche, Sage Therapeutics, Scion Neurostim, Stoparkinson, Sunovion, Sun Pharma, Supernus, Teva, Transposon Therapeutics, and UCB Pharmaceuticals
• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for AbbVie, Acadia, Acorda, Alexza Pharmaceuticals, Amneal, Cala Health, Cerevel, Enterin Inc., Kyowa Kirin, Merz, Neurocrine, Neuroderm, Pharma 2 B Ltd., Revance, Roche, Scion Neurostim, Stoparkinson, Supernus, and Teva

Planners reported the following relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities related to the educational content of this CME activity:

• Leslie Cloud, MD
• Site investigator for research supported by Amneal and Intracellular Therapies
• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Amneal

• Britt Stone, MD
• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Boston Scientific

• Jason Rivera, MPH
• No disclosures to report

• Clarisse Goas, NP
• Principal or site investigator for research supported by AskBio
• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America

• Anissa Mitchel, LCSW
• No disclosures to report

• Kelly Papesh, DNP
• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America

• Mary Ann Chapman, PhD
• Consultant for Allergan Aesthetics

• Fernando Pagan, MD
• Site investigator for research supported by Amneal and Kyowa Kirin
• Other grant support from Medtronic
• Speakers’ Bureau, consultant, and/or advisory board member for AbbVie, Acadia, Amneal, Acorda, Kyowa Kirin, Teva, Supernus, Merz, and Neurocrine

• Yasar Torres-Yaghi, MD
• No disclosures to report

PMD Alliance has received non-CME educational funding and support from ineligible companies.  This support is not tied to continuing medical education.  These relationships have been mitigated and do not influence CME content.

All identified relevant financial relationships are thoroughly vetted and mitigated according to PMD Alliance CME Program standard operating procedures. 

Disclosure of Unlabeled Use

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA.  The planners of this activity do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.  The opinions expressed in the educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of the planners.  Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

Commercial Support

This activity is supported by independent medical education grants from Merz, AbbVie, Kyowa Kirin, and Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma America.

Disclaimer

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development.  The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management.  Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient's conditions and possible contraindications and/or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer's product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

Request for Credit

In order to obtain your CME certificate, please follow the directions provided at the conclusion of the course.  

If you have questions regarding the certification of this activity, please contact PMD Alliance at education@pmdalliance.org