The goal is to better control symptoms, such as motor fluctuations and sleep disturbances, and reduce their impact: for the patient, a significant improvement in quality of life. The first subcutaneous infusion of levodopa, a drug used to treat Parkinson's symptoms, was implanted yesterday, Wednesday, August 6, in the Neurology Unit of San Martino Hospital in Oristano. The infusion was implanted in a 71-year-old man from Oristano suffering from the advanced and complicated stage of the disease .

"Patients," explained Dr. Rita Farris , who heads the Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic of the Neurology Unit led by Dr. Bastianino Murgia, "normally take the drug levodopa orally. However, over time, after years of illness, this loses its effectiveness because its bioavailability (i.e., the degree and speed with which the drug enters the circulation) decreases, exposing patients to increasingly frequent and disabling fluctuations, such as motor seizures, excessive movement, or increasingly disturbed sleep." The advantage of the new subcutaneous therapy, available from 2024, lies in the method of administration, which releases the drug steadily and continuously into the body over the course of 24 hours . The implant essentially involves placing a needle in the arm or abdomen, connected to an infusion pump that delivers the drug continuously, both day and night.

This is a simple procedure that can be administered at home by a trained caregiver instructed by healthcare professionals on the use of the drug, its placement, disinfection, and all other steps necessary for proper administration. Yesterday's patient is the first to benefit from the new therapy at San Martino , but other patients with advanced disease have already applied for the infusion pump. The Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic at San Martino Hospital in Oristano currently treats over 130 Parkinson's disease patients.