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ABSTRACT: Background
Parkinson's disease is still incurable, and several factors are considered when defining pharmacological therapy.Objective
The aim of this study was to describe the prescription pattern of monoamine oxidase B inhibitors (MAO-BIs) marketed in Italy (selegiline, rasagiline, safinamide) as an add-on to levodopa among new users of MAO-BIs, from the perspective of the Italian National Health Service.Patients and methods
Through cross-linkage of administrative healthcare data in the Ricerca e Salute (ReS) database, adults with a supply of one or more MAO-BIs in 2017, and with no other MAO-BI use since 2013, were selected. Levodopa had to be supplied within 30 days before/after the MAO-BI. The incidence, use, sex, age, comorbidities, 2-year prescription patterns (i.e., switches, proportion of treated patients per semester/year, mean daily milligrams/monthly tablets supplied, discontinuation, change to other anti-Parkinson drug) of patients taking MAO-BIs were provided.Results
In 2017, 1059 new users received an MAO-BI (incidence 22.6 × 100,000 adults) combined with levodopa: 502 subjects (10.7 × 100,000) were treated with selegiline, 161 (3.4 × 100,000) were treated with rasagiline, and 396 (8.4 × 100,000) were treated with safinamide. The cohorts mainly consisted of males with a median age of ≥ 74 years. Treatment incidences increased with age. Switches occurred in 18.0%, 11.0%, and 4.3% of the selegiline, rasagiline, and safinamide cohorts, respectively. Most of the patients switching from selegiline/safinamide changed to rasagiline, while most of the patients switching from rasagiline changed to safinamide. From the first to second years, patient numbers reduced by ≤ 50%, and the daily milligrams/monthly tablets slightly increased. Six-month discontinuation occurred in > 50% of all cohorts, and ≥ 65% of discontinuing patients changed to another anti-Parkinson drug.Conclusions
This analysis described the heterogeneous use of MAO-BIs as an add-on to levodopa in Italy. Further clinical trials and real-world studies are encouraged to update the few existing guidelines and to align clinical practice strategies.
SUBMITTER: Ronconi G
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9392820 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

Ronconi Giulia G Calabria Silvia S Piccinni Carlo C Dondi Letizia L Pedrini Antonella A Esposito Immacolata I Addesi Alice A Sambati Luisa L Martini Nello N
Drugs - real world outcomes 20220613 3
<h4>Background</h4>Parkinson's disease is still incurable, and several factors are considered when defining pharmacological therapy.<h4>Objective</h4>The aim of this study was to describe the prescription pattern of monoamine oxidase B inhibitors (MAO-BIs) marketed in Italy (selegiline, rasagiline, safinamide) as an add-on to levodopa among new users of MAO-BIs, from the perspective of the Italian National Health Service.<h4>Patients and methods</h4>Through cross-linkage of administrative health ...[more]