Long-Term Real-World Experience with Safinamide in Patients with Parkinson's Disease

Randomized clinical trials should be complemented with data from real-world studies. We report our long-term experience with safinamide in a movement disorders unit.

This retrospective study included patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) treated with safinamide in our unit from February 2016 to May 2022 under routine clinical practice. Assessments included the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) stage, unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) part III score, levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), LEDD for dopamine agonists, and safinamide treatment discontinuation.

We included 180 patients with a median age of 74 years (IQR 11), and the majority (90.6%) had an HY stage of ≤2. After a median follow-up of 40 months (IQR 34), 14 patients discontinued treatment with safinamide (7.8%, 95% CI 4.7 to 12.6). Among the 166 patients who remained on safinamide, the UPDRS III score was stable (10 (IQR 9) vs. 9 (IQR 13), p = 0.455). The LEDD significantly increased from a median of 300 mg to 500 mg (p < 0.001), whereas the LEDD for dopamine agonists did not significantly increase. A subgroup of 89 patients who did not require dopamine agonists during follow-up showed stable UPDRS III score (10 (IQR 7) vs. 9 (IQR 14); p = 0.923), with a significant LEDD increase (300 mg to 400 mg, p < 0.001).

Our results support the long-term effectiveness and tolerability of safinamide in patients with PD in clinical practice.