Open-label study assessment of safety and adverse effects of subcutaneous apomorphine injections in treating "off" episodes in advanced Parkinson disease.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the safety and adverse effect profile of continued use of intermittent subcutaneous apomorphine to treat "off" episodes in subjects with advanced Parkinson disease.

METHODS

The study enrolled subjects with Hoehn and Yahr stage II-V Parkinson disease who were experiencing "off" events despite an optimized oral medication regimen. After baseline assessment and subcutaneous apomorphine dose titration (2-10mg/dose), subjects received > or =12 months of open-label treatment, as needed, for "off" episodes.

RESULTS

Of the 546 subjects in the study population, the majority used apomorphine on a daily basis; the average dose was 4.0 mg. A total of 187 subjects discontinued treatment because of adverse events (AEs). Most AEs were mild to moderate and expected with apomorphine. The AEs most commonly classified as definitely, probably, or possibly treatment related were nausea and vomiting, dyskinesia, dizziness, somnolence, hallucination, yawning, and injection site bruising. Serious AEs occurred in 199 subjects, but only 27 were considered to be probably or possibly treatment related. None of the 45 deaths recorded in the study were attributed to apomorphine.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term use of intermittent apomorphine dosing for treatment of "off" episodes was generally associated with mild-to-moderate AEs.