OBJECTIVES: To quantify unmet treatment needs, satisfaction, and burden in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) at different Hoehn & Yahr (H&Y) stages.

METHODS: Analysis was conducted using interim data from the Adelphi PD Disease Specific Programme™, a point-in-time survey of neurologists, and their PD patients in the US between 2021 and 2022. Data collected included patient demographics, clinical data including unmet needs, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including treatment satisfaction (0-7, higher=better), EuroQol -5 Dimension (EQ-5D, 0-1, higher=better) and -Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS, 0-100, higher=better), PD Questionnaire (PDQ-39, 0-100, higher=worse), and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI, % impairment) scores. Patients were grouped based on their current H&Y score as early (1-2), intermediate (2.5-3), or severe (4-5), and pairwise tests performed, allowing for comparisons of treatment needs, treatment satisfaction, and patient quality of life (QoL).

RESULTS: In total, 95 neurologists provided data for 1,112 patients. Of these, 45% were classed as early-stage PD (n=499), 42% intermediate (n=466), and 13% severe (n=147). Comparisons revealed that intermediate patients had the greatest physician-reported unmet treatment needs in relation to: slowing disease progression, disease modification, neuroprotection, rigidity, bradykinesia, dyskinesias, dystonia, cognition, excessive sleepiness, insomnia, hallucinations, impulse control, psychosis, and reduction in levodopa dosage (all p<0.05). PROs from early (n=70) and intermediate (n=65) groups further demonstrated the impact associated with disease progression with lower mean (presented early, intermediate) treatment satisfaction (5.6, 5.1), EQ-5D (0.80, 0.61), and EQ-VAS (78.7, 66.9) scores and increased mean PDQ-39 (12.0, 24.5); and WPAI scores (31.5%, 48.4%) (all p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: We have shown that patient unmet needs increased whilst QoL diminished from early to intermediate PD showing that, despite a diverse drug market for PD, intermediate PD is poorly managed leading to lower overall QoL. Novel treatments and treatment regimens specifically targeting patients with intermediate PD are clearly needed.

Study supported by: MTPA, Inc.