Epidemiological assessment of levodopa use by populations

This study is an analysis of the measurements of drug use by populations proposed by the Nordic Council on Medicines, conducted from an epidemiological-theoretical perspective. Particular attention is given to levodopa use (LDU). Several measurements of comparative LDU are proposed here for the assessment of levodopa (LD) consumption, from data on LD sales to well defined populations, over known periods of time. The method takes into account possible purposes of LDU evaluations, and is based on a reported model which combines information on Parkinson's Disease prevalence (PD) from surveys, gross levodopa sales, age-structure of the population, the figures for infant mortality rates (IMRs) taken as an indicator of modernization, and the average amount of LD prescribed as daily dose. The evaluation of LDU is implemented following a stepwise procedure.