July 2025 Newsletter
This month we had the opportunity to have Josette Hughes, an Abvie Med rep, come and speak about an exciting new product. They have developed Vyalev, a subcutaneous, 24-hour delivery system for PD patients to receive their carbidopa/levodopa. As we know, the longer a patient takes carbidopa/levodopa the less effective it becomes. The oral medication sits longer in the stomach as the digestive track slows down, making the time until it reaches the bloodstream much longer prolonging the “off” times. Also, food can interfere with the effectiveness of the oral meds. As PD advances, more medication is needed to offset these problems.
Vyalev attaches to the body on the stomach, arm, or thigh with a small tube attached to a pump that delivers carbidopa/levodopa continuously for 24-hours directly into the blood stream. Food and digestion are bypassed so there are no dietary restrictions around pill time! This system is FDA approved for PD patients who take more than 400mg of carbidopa/levodopa daily and have more than 2.5 hours of “off” time daily. This is a non-surgical option for those patients who need more “on” time and the oral drugs are no longer adequate. With Vyalev, oral medication of carbidopa/levodopa are completely eliminated.
For More Information:
About the Speaker
Josette Hughes
Josette brings a wealth of knowledge to her daily work with over 29 years in the medical and bio pharma industry. She began her career in hospice and the past 23 while at AbbVie biopharmaceuticals she has honed her skills in multiple specialties including: Women's Health, Cardio, Metabolics, GI, Men's Health and now Neuroscience-Parkinsons. She is a proud Texas native and has lived in Southern California for the past 10 years and enjoys all the beauty the Golden State has to offer, especially the mountains and beaches. She married her husband, Chris 36 years ago with her pride and joy being their two grown sons, Jordan and Connor. In her free time, she loves to find vintage treasures at flea markets and breathe new life into the old and mundane; a philosophy of finding a new purpose for old things creates joy and sparks fun conversations along the way, especially if it’s got any historical significance!
