Levodopa alone and in combination with a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor benserazide (madopar®) in the treatment of Parkinson's disease

A combination of levodopa and the extracerebrally acting decarboxylase inhibitor benserazide (ratio 4:1) (Madopar®), was compared with levodopa alone in a controlled double-blind clinical multicenter trial on 94 patients with Parkinson's disease. During 4 months of therapy levodopa + benserazide proved superior to levodopa on several accounts. Nausea and vomiting occurred with statistically significant less severity and frequency. Clinical improvement expressed through improvement in Webster rating occurred sooner and was all together greater.