What Is Juvmo and Why Does It Matter?
The FDA has approved Juvmo (tavapadon) to treat Parkinson’s disease in adults. Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects the brain and nervous system. Over time, it makes moving, walking, and balancing harder. Juvmo can be used alone or with to other medicines like levodopa.
Juvmo works by targeting specific areas in the brain called dopamine D1 and D5 receptors. Dopamine is a natural chemical in the brain that helps control muscle movement. People with Parkinson’s lose the cells that make dopamine. Juvmo acts like dopamine to help improve everyday movements.
Having a new treatment option gives people with Parkinson’s another way to manage their physical symptoms. Juvmo comes as a tablet that you take by mouth once a day.
Why Was It Approved?
The FDA approved Juvmo based on results from clinical studies. In studies of adults with early Parkinson’s who were not taking levodopa, researchers compared Juvmo to a placebo, which is a pill with no medicine. After 26 weeks, patients taking Juvmo had significant improvements in their ability to do daily activities like dressing, eating, and personal hygiene compared to those taking the placebo.
In another study, researchers evaluated Juvmo in adults with Parkinson’s who were already taking levodopa but still experienced times when their medicine wore off. A total of 507 patients received either Juvmo or a placebo along with their regular levodopa dose. After 26 weeks, people who took Juvmo gained an average of 1.7 hours of good "on" time each day without troublesome extra movements, compared to 0.6 hours for those on placebo. Daily "off" time, when symptoms return, decreased by 1.9 hours with Juvmo compared to 0.9 hours with the placebo.
Most side effects seen in the studies were mild to moderate. Common side effects included nausea, dizziness, headache, fatigue, and uncontrolled muscle movements.
What Do I Need to Know?
Take Juvmo exactly as your healthcare provider tells you. Take the tablet once daily with or without food. Your healthcare provider will start you on a lower dose and slowly increase it over time to help your body get used to the medicine.
Juvmo can cause serious side effects, including low blood pressure. This can make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, or faint when standing up. To help prevent this, stand up slowly after sitting or lying down. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you notice unusual strong urges, such as uncontrolled urges to gamble, spend money, or eat compulsively. You should also report seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations) or new, sudden uncontrolled muscle movements.
The most common side effects of Juvmo include nausea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, dry mouth, vomiting, changes in taste, and feeling anxious. Tell your healthcare provider about all medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements you take. Some medicines can interact with Juvmo and change how it works. Tell your healthcare provider if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.