Read this, tommorrow can be different! This therapy works NOW, not 5 yrs from now!

[Jim091866]

For those of you who may not have read my recent posts along the line of getting the pump. There is a therapy that replaces the need to take meds by mouth to control PD. It is levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel. It uses a pump and delivers the medication directly into your body by way of a feeding tube in your abdomen. This bypasses the stomach where the meds are used up or destroyed before they can be absorbed.
It has been in use for some 15 years in over 40 countries, mostly in Europe, Australia.
We do not have the treatment here in the US. Abbott pharmacueticals is the company that has been developing the gel for the US. The FDA required complete study protocol on something that is already proven! As a matter of fact the company almost gave up on trying to develop the treatment because of the FDA's ridiculous requirements. At this stage the treatment has passed through phase 3 trials and as of this March/April the company was stating that they were going to submit for marketing approval in late 2012.
I for one think that this is going to be cost prohibitive for them to bring this to market. We spend billions all around the world but if you were to wake up tommorrow and have the pump I don't think you would be willing to give it back. WE NEED TO FIND SOMEONE'S DESK TO JUMP UP AND DOWN ON!!!!!!