TEMPO-2: Positive results for tavapadon in early Parkinson's

Tavapadon is the first and only D1/D5 partial agonist under investigation as a once-daily treatment for Parkinson's disease.

The TEMPO-2 trial evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a flexible-dose (5 mg to 15 mg, once daily) treatment with tavapadon as a monotherapy in adults with early Parkinson's disease. The trial met its primary endpoint – patients treated with tavapadon experienced a statistically significant reduction (improvement) from baseline compared to placebo (placebo: -1.2; tavapadon 5-15 mg: -10.3; p-value <0.0001 versus placebo) in the Movement Disorder Society - Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Parts II and III combined score at week 26. The TEMPO-2 trial also met the key secondary endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in motor aspects of experiences of daily living (MDS-UPDRS Part II) in the tavapadon group (5-15 mg) compared to placebo at week 26. 

"The positive results across all three Phase III TEMPO trials underscore the potential of tavapadon as a first-in-class D1/D5 partial agonist for the treatment of Parkinson's disease," said Primal Kaur, M.D., MBA, senior vice president, immunology, neuroscience, eye care and specialty development, AbbVie. "With these data in hand, we look forward to working with regulatory agencies to assess next steps, bringing us one step closer to providing tavapadon for those living with this chronic, debilitating disease."

The safety profile observed in the TEMPO-2 trial was consistent with prior clinical trials.  The majority of adverse events reported were mild to moderate in severity.

"Parkinson's disease imposes a profound burden on individuals living with this challenging neurological condition, significantly affecting their quality of life and management of daily activities. Right now, there is still an unmet need for treatments that deliver efficacy while minimizing unwanted side effects," said Hubert H. Fernandez, M.D., global principal investigator and the James and Constance Brown endowed chair in movement disorders, professor of neurology and director at the Center for Neurological Restoration at Cleveland Clinic. "The results from TEMPO-2, and across the entire TEMPO clinical development program, add to the growing evidence which suggests that tavapadon has the potential to offer an important new option for individuals living with Parkinson's disease."

Full results from the TEMPO-2 trial will be submitted for presentation at a future medical meeting. AbbVie is on track to submit the New Drug Application (NDA) to the  FDA  in 2025.

TEMPO Clinical Development Program

The TEMPO clinical development program evaluated the efficacy, safety and tolerability of tavapadon across a broad Parkinson's disease population, including two monotherapy Phase III trials (TEMPO-1 and TEMPO-2) and one adjunctive Phase III trial (TEMPO-3). AbbVie is also conducting a fourth, open-label extension (OLE) trial (TEMPO-4) to assess the long-term safety and tolerability of tavapadon.

TEMPO-2 was a Phase III double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, 27-week trial to evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of flexible doses of tavapadon (5-15 mg QD) as a monotherapy in early Parkinson's disease. The primary endpoint was the change from baseline in the MDS-UPDRS Parts II and III combined score. Key secondary endpoints included change from baseline in the MDS-UPDRS Parts II score and percentage of responders with "much improved" or "very much improved" on the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC).

The MDS-UPDRS was developed to evaluate various aspects of Parkinson's disease including non-motor and motor experiences of daily living and motor complications. It includes a motor evaluation and characterizes the extent and burden of disease across various populations. Part II contains 13 sub-scores for the motor experiences of daily living and Part III contains 33 sub-scores based on 18 items, several with right, left or other body distribution scores for the motor examination. The sub-score for each is summed to calculate the total scores. The scale range for Part II+III Total Score is 0-184 (Part II maximum total score of 52 + Part III maximum total score of 132). The higher the score the greater the severity. A negative change from baseline represents an improvement in motor function. A total of 304 adults between the ages of 40-80 were enrolled in the trial. All had a confirmed diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and had disease duration (from time of diagnosis) of less than three years. Patients were randomized to receive tavapadon 5-15 mg QD or placebo, orally and once daily.