Nova Scotians living with Advanced Parkinson's Disease now have public access to DUODOPA® to manage their disease

• Nova Scotia joins Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Yukon to offer DUODOPA

MONTREAL, Feb. 22, 2018 /CNW/ - AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV), a global research and development-based biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Canadians diagnosed with advanced Parkinson's Disease living in Nova Scotia now have public access to DUODOPA. Parkinson's disease is a progressive degenerative brain disorder with no cure.

DUODOPA is used to treat patients with advanced Parkinson's disease who have severe and disabling motor symptoms that cannot be well controlled with available oral treatments. It is a levodopa and carbidopa medication combination delivered in the form of a gel through an intestinal pump.

Ryan Underhill, Managing Director for Parkinson Canada in Nova Scotia said, "We hear from people with Parkinson's and their families every day. Having public access to effective treatment options gives them a sense of hope.  We see firsthand how very challenging this disease is for individuals managing their unique symptoms through all stages of disease progression."

Over 25 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's every day in Canada¹. Between 2011 - 2031, the number of Canadians diagnosed with Parkinson's is expected to double to more than 163,700².

Stéphane Lassignardie, General Manager of AbbVie Canada added, "We are thrilled that Nova Scotians now have access to DUODOPA.  We continue to work with the healthcare community and the government to bring our medications to different communities. Our mission is to continue to advance scientific innovation in therapeutic areas where there are limited or no treatment options available to patients."

About DUODOPA

DUODOPA® (levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel) is a gel containing two medications delivered directly into the small intestine that is used to treat patients with advanced Parkinson's disease who are responsive to levodopa treatment. DUODOPA is for use in patients who have severe and disabling motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease that cannot be well controlled with available combinations of medications for Parkinson's disease and for whom the benefits of this treatment may outweigh the risks associated with the insertion and long-term use of the percutaneous endoscopy gastrostomy-jejunostomy (PEG-J) tube required for administration. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease include tremor, feeling rigid, slow movements, and balance problems.

DUODOPA® was approved in recognition of a high unmet need for effective therapies and no satisfactory alternatives. DUODOPA is approved in 34 countries and is used by more than 8,500 patients worldwide. Any medicines can have side effects. Like all medicines, DUODOPA® or the procedure of the PEG-J tube can cause serious side effects. DUODOPA® is contraindicated in patients with narrow-angle glaucoma, severe liver and renal insufficiency, severe heart failure, severe cardiac arrhythmia, suspicious, undiagnosed skin lesions or a history of melanoma, acute stroke and in patients taking non-selective MAO inhibitors and selective MAO type A inhibitors. DUODOPA® is also contraindicated in patients with clinical or laboratory evidence of uncompensated cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, endocrine, hematologic or pulmonary disease (including bronchial asthma)_.

For further information, please consult the DUODOPA Product Monograph at www.abbvie.ca

About AbbVie Care
The AbbVie Care program is designed to provide a wide range of customized services including reimbursement and financial support, pharmacy services, lab work reminders and coordination, personalized education and ongoing disease management support throughout the treatment journey.  For more information, consult www.abbviecare.ca.

About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research and development-based biopharmaceutical company committed to developing innovative advanced therapies for some of the world's most complex and critical conditions. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to markedly improve treatments across four primary therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience.  In more than 75 countries, AbbVie employees are working every day to advance health solutions for people around the world. For more information about AbbVie, please visit us at www.abbvie.ca and www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvieCanada and @abbvie on Twitter or view careers on our Facebook or LinkedIn page.

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¹ Neurological Health Charities Canada (NHCC), Health Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR). MAPPING CONNECTIONS: An Understanding of Neurological Conditions in Canada. Sept. 2014. pg.66.

² POHEM-Neurological, Statistics Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada. Table 3-5: Projected prevalence, by select neurological condition, Canada, 2011, 2016, 2021, 2026, and 2031, Microsimulation Project. Ibid.,

SOURCE AbbVie Canada

Media: Eileen Murphy, AbbVie Canada, [phone], [email protected]