Deep Breath For Acorda As It Prepares Inhaled Levodopa Filing

Acorda's $525m purchase of Civitas in 2014 is now set to bear fruit, with new Phase III data for an inhaled formulation of levodopa, the main attraction of the deal, looking strong enough both to warrant approval filings and please payors.

Acorda Therapeutics Inc. is planning regulatory filings in the US by the end of the second quarter, and in the EU by the end of the year, for its inhaled levodopa product CVT-301 for use as a rescue therapy in Parkinson's disease. Shares in Acorda rose as much as 16% in trading on NASDAQ on 9. Feb.

New Phase III results from the 12-week SPAN-PD study show CVT-301 led to statistically significant improvements in Unified Parkinson’s Disease...