LEVODOPA MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Challenges And Opportunities

Levodopa Market Driver

Development of novel formulations and efficient drug delivery methods for levodopa are expected to drive growth of the levodopa market. For instance, a clinical study for gastric retentive Accordion Pill, an immediate drug release formulation by Intec Pharma Ltd., is ongoing in clinical phase III and is expected to complete in September 2018. Accordion Pill is a Carbidopa/Levodopa (AP-CD/LD) combinational oral drug delivery system, which is designed to improve the efficacy and safety of existing CD/LD drugs by utilizing an efficient gastric retention and specific release mechanism.

Moreover, Impel NeuroPharma Inc. is conducting phase II clinical study for INP103, a drug-device combination product containing a drug component, L-dopa, and device component I231 Precision Olfactory Delivery (POD) device. The study is expected to complete in November 2018.

Furthermore, advancement in diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) progression is expected to boost growth of levodopa market. For instance, a clinical study conducted by Washington University School of Medicine, for measuring PD progression both by using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and by controlled dose of levodopa for discovering suitable biomarker of PD is currently in clinical phase I and is expected to complete in February 2019.

Levodopa Market Restraint

Shortage of drug supply in the market due to delay in manufacturing and supply of levodopa is expected to hamper levodopa market growth. For instance, Merck Sharp & Dohme Ireland (Human Health) Ltd. in September 2018, anticipated stock shortage of some Sinemet (Carbidopa/ Levodopa) products in the Irish market in near future due to global manufacturing delays in production and demand for resupply of these products.