Condition

Parkinson's disease

Clinical trials and treatment information for Parkinson's disease

11.8M
People Affected
150
Active Trials
235K
New Cases/Year
388K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Levodopa (Carbidopa/Levodopa)
92% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 65% Safety• 171 trials• 300K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Carbidopa/Levodopa 25/100 mg, 3-5 times daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
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Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
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65
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

30-90 minutes

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

85%

Remission Rate

0%

Common Side Effects:

Nausea: 25%
Dyskinesia (long-term): 40%
Hallucinations: 15%
Orthostatic Hypotension: 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$450

Monitoring

$900

Side Effects

$750

Total Annual

$2,100

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

1

ICER

$20,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$2,470.59

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
MDS-UPDRS Part III (Motor Examination) Score35 points (on MDS-UPDRS Part III scale, range 0-108)
-40% (-14 points)
Reduction in Daily 'OFF' Time6 hours/day
-45% (-2.7 hours/day)
MDS-UPDRS Part II (Activities of Daily Living) Score18 points (on MDS-UPDRS Part II scale, range 0-52)
-30% (-5.4 points)
Duration of 'ON' Time Without Troublesome Dyskinesia9 hours/day (out of 16 awake hours)
+30% (+2.7 hours/day)
Secondary Benefits
PDQ-39 Summary Index (Quality of Life)45 points (on PDQ-39 summary index, range 0-100, higher score = worse QoL)
-25% (-11.3 points)
MDS-UPDRS Part I (Non-Motor Experiences of Daily Living) Score18 points (on MDS-UPDRS Part I scale, range 0-52, higher score = more severe NMS)
-15% (-2.7 points)
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score12 points (on PSQI, range 0-21, higher score = worse sleep quality)
-15% (-1.8 points)
Common Side Effects
Nausea
+25%
Dyskinesia (long-term)
+40%
Hallucinations
+15%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
88% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 45% Safety• 336 trials• 20K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Programmable stimulation parameters
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
45
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Days to weeks (post-activation)

Duration

Lifetime (with battery replacement every 3-5 years)

Response Rate

80%

Remission Rate

0%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

3

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

30

Common Side Effects:

Infection: 7%
Intracranial hemorrhage: 3%
Device-related complications: 10%
Speech/swallowing issues: 7%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$0

Monitoring

$6,000

Side Effects

$500

Total Annual

$14,000

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.15

ICER

$90,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$17,500

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
UPDRS Part III (Motor Score)38 points (Medication OFF state, scale 0-108)
-49% (-18.6 points)
Levodopa-Equivalent Daily Dose (LEDD)1050 mg/day
-51% (-535.5 mg/day)
Daily 'OFF' Time6.5 hours/day
-68% (-4.4 hours/day)
Dyskinesia Severity (UPDRS Part IV)5 points (Medication ON state, e.g., items 32 & 33)
-60% (-3.0 points)
Secondary Benefits
Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39) Summary Index35 points (higher score indicates worse QoL, scale 0-100)
-25% (-8.75 points)
UPDRS Part II (Activities of Daily Living)28 points (Medication OFF state, scale 0-52)
-45% (-12.6 points)
Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II)22 points (moderate depression, scale 0-63)
-20% (-4.4 points)
Common Side Effects
Infection
+7%
Intracranial hemorrhage
+3%
Device-related complications
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
3
Dopamine Agonists (e.g., Pramipexole, Ropinirole)
82% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 60% Safety• 300 trials• 50K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Pramipexole 0.125-1.5 mg TID; Ropinirole 0.25-24 mg TID
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-4 weeks

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

75%

Remission Rate

0%

Common Side Effects:

Nausea: 30%
Somnolence/Sudden sleep attacks: 20%
Impulse Control Disorders: 10%
Hallucinations: 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$500

Monitoring

$900

Side Effects

$900

Total Annual

$2,300

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.8

ICER

$60,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$3,066.67

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+82%
Response Rate
+75%
Common Side Effects
Nausea
+30%
Somnolence/Sudden sleep attacks
+20%
Impulse Control Disorders
+10%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
4
MAO-B Inhibitors (e.g., Rasagiline, Selegiline)
70% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 70% Safety• 70 trials• 15K participants
MODERATE EvidenceGood ValueDose: Rasagiline 0.5-1 mg daily; Selegiline 5 mg BID
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
70
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 weeks

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

40%

Remission Rate

0%

Common Side Effects:

Nausea: 12%
Insomnia: 15%
Orthostatic Hypotension: 7%
Headache: 7%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$400

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$100

Total Annual

$1,100

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.5

ICER

$75,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$2,750

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+70%
Response Rate
+40%
Common Side Effects
Nausea
+12%
Insomnia
+15%
Orthostatic Hypotension
+7%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
5
COMT Inhibitors (e.g., Entacapone)
65% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 65% Safety• 50 trials• 10K participants
HIGH EvidenceGood ValueDose: Entacapone 200 mg with each levodopa dose (max 8 doses daily)
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
65
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Immediate

Duration

Lifetime (as adjunct to levodopa)

Response Rate

65%

Remission Rate

0%

Common Side Effects:

Diarrhea: 15%
Nausea: 12%
Worsened dyskinesia: 15%
Orange-brown urine discoloration: 100%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,000

Monitoring

$1,000

Side Effects

$200

Total Annual

$2,200

Cost-Effectiveness

GOOD

QALYs Gained

0.4

ICER

$55,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$1,846.15

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+65%
Response Rate
+65%
Common Side Effects
Diarrhea
+15%
Nausea
+12%
Worsened dyskinesia
+15%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
6
Amantadine
55% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 70% Safety• 32 trials• 8K participants
MODERATE EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 100 mg twice daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
70
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-2 weeks

Duration

Long-term (as needed for LID)

Response Rate

50%

Remission Rate

0%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

4

Common Side Effects:

Livedo reticularis: 15%
Edema: 7%
Dizziness/Lightheadedness: 7%
Hallucinations/Confusion: 5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$200

Monitoring

$100

Side Effects

$100

Total Annual

$400

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.3

ICER

$40,000/QALY

Cost per Responder

$800

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Dyskinesia Severity38 points (UDysRS total score, higher is worse)
-28% (-10.6 points)
Motor Symptoms Severity32 points (UPDRS Part III score, higher is worse)
-12% (-3.8 points)
Daily "Off" Time4.5 hours/day
-30% (-1.4 hours/day)
Secondary Benefits
Activities of Daily Living (ADL)18 points (UPDRS Part II score, higher is worse)
-8% (-1.4 points)
Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life35 points (PDQ-39 total score, lower is better)
-7% (-2.5 points)
Fatigue Severity5.5 points (FSS score, higher is worse)
-10% (-0.5 points)
Common Side Effects
Livedo reticularis
+15%
Edema
+7%
Dizziness/Lightheadedness
+7%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4