MOTION, Safinamide in Early Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease (IPD), as add-on to Dopamine Agonist (Extension of Trial 27918)

Parkinson's disease is a major neurodegenerative disorder in which there is a progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. The understanding that PD is a syndrome of dopamine (DA) deficiency led to the introduction in the clinical practice of L-dopa, a precursor of DA that crosses the blood brain barrier, and also to the use of selective inhibitors of MAO B, the major DA metabolising enzyme in man. This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, extension trial, parallel-group, randomised, multi-centre, multi national, Phase III trial, comparing two doses of safinamide (50 and 100 mg p.o. q.a.m.) versus placebo as add-on therapy to a stable dose of a single dopamine agonist in subjects with early idiopathic Parkinson's Disease. The principal objective is to evaluate the time to first intervention, as some previous data suggested that safinamide may delay the need for further dopaminergic supplementation.