“This is my party, but you are
invited,” says Chef Zarela
Culinary icon Zarela Martinez and Acorda Therapeutics (NASDAQ:
ACOR) have partnered to launch “A Taste for Life with Zarela” to
celebrate Parkinson’s Awareness Month. The video series showcases
Zarela’s inspirational “building blocks” for living well with
Parkinson’s disease (PD) and for healthy and delicious eating. The
site can be reached at www.ATasteForLifeWithZarela.com.
Zarela, a native of Mexico, opened her eponymous restaurant in
1987, featuring traditional regional Mexican cuisine -- the first
of its kind in Manhattan. Since then, she’s authored three
cookbooks and hosted her own show on PBS, elevating her to
celebrity status. In 2013 she was named to the James Beard “Who’s
Who in Food and Wine.” The same year, Radcliffe/Harvard’s
Schlesinger Library acquired her personal and professional
papers.
“A Taste for Life with Zarela” features videos of Zarela
preparing some of her most versatile recipes while also sharing her
recipe for living well with Parkinson’s. She was formally diagnosed
in 2004, after decades of living with symptoms of the disease.
Consistent with her fiery spirit, she tackled this new challenge
head-on. In addition to her medications, she stayed socially active
and used nutrition and exercise to help control her Parkinson’s
symptoms. Zarela also began taking INBRIJA® (levodopa inhalation
powder) shortly after it was launched in 2019, to help manage her
OFF periods.
INBRIJA is the first and only inhaled levodopa. It is a
prescription medicine used for the return of Parkinson’s symptoms
(known as OFF episodes) in adults treated with carbidopa/levodopa
medicine. INBRIJA does not replace regular carbidopa/levodopa
medicine. OFF periods are characterized by the return of
Parkinson’s symptoms despite underlying baseline therapy.
“It’s easy for people with Parkinson’s to become isolated – you
just don’t feel like yourself anymore. However, it’s crucial that
you find something you are passionate about – something you cannot
live without doing – and for me that is cooking…and socializing and
exercise and creativity! In this video series, I want to share my
‘building blocks’ for living a vibrant life with Parkinson’s – as
well as my ‘building blocks’ for healthy, delicious meals,” Zarela
says, “As my PD progressed, my medication stopped working as well
in between scheduled doses, and my symptoms would come back. I
talked to my doctor, and he prescribed INBRIJA. And for me, INBRIJA
is an important part of how I manage my Parkinson’s.”
About Zarela Martinez
Zarela grew up on a cattle ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico. After she
married and settled in El Paso, Texas, she started her own catering
business. She was later discovered by Chef Paul Prudhomme, who
recognized Zarela’s talent and invited her to cook alongside him at
an event at Tavern on the Green in New York City. Shortly after,
she moved to New York and opened her own restaurant.
Zarela quickly became renowned for her sophisticated Mexican
cuisine. Three cookbooks and a PBS series, “Zarela! La Cucina
Veracruzana” followed. In 2004 she was labeled one of seven
individuals that redefined the American culinary landscape in the
last half of the twentieth century by the U.S. State
Department.
Today, she co-hosts a podcast, “Cooking in Mexican from A to Z,”
on the Heritage Radio Network. Along with her son, Chef Aarón
Sánchez, she explores the food, flavors, and history of Mexico
through lively conversations with their guests.
About Parkinson’s Disease and OFF Periods
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder
resulting from the gradual loss of certain neurons in the brain.
These neurons are responsible for producing dopamine and that loss
causes a range of symptoms including impaired movement, muscle
stiffness and tremors. As Parkinson’s progresses, people are likely
to experience OFF periods, which are characterized by the return of
Parkinson’s symptoms, which can occur despite underlying baseline
therapy. Approximately one million people in the U.S. and 1.2
million Europeans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s; it is estimated
that approximately 40 percent of people with Parkinson’s in the
U.S. experience OFF periods. Patients and care partners should
remember to talk with their healthcare provider about diet and
exercise.
About INBRIJA (levodopa inhalation powder)
INBRIJA is the first and only inhaled levodopa. It is a
prescription medicine used for the return of Parkinson’s symptoms
(known as OFF episodes) in adults treated with carbidopa/levodopa
medicine. INBRIJA does not replace regular carbidopa/levodopa
medicine. INBRIJA is not to be used by patients who take or have
taken a nonselective monoamine oxidase inhibitor such as phenelzine
or tranylcypromine within the last two weeks. INBRIJA utilizes
Acorda’s innovative ARCUS® platform for inhaled therapeutics.
Additional Important Safety Information (U.S.)
Before using INBRIJA, patients should tell their healthcare
provider about all their medical conditions, including:
- asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or any
chronic lung disease
- daytime sleepiness, sleep disorders, sleepiness/drowsiness
without warning or us of medicine that increases sleepiness
including antidepressants or antipsychotics
- dizziness, nausea, sweating, or fainting when standing up
- abnormal movement (dyskinesia)
- mental health problem such as hallucinations or psychosis
- uncontrollable urges like gambling, sexual urges, spending
money, or binge eating
- glaucoma
- pregnancy or plans to become pregnant. It is not known if
INBRIJA will harm an unborn baby.
- breastfeeding or plans to breastfeed. Levodopa (the medicine in
INBRIJA) can pass into breastmilk and it is unknown if it can harm
the baby.
Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they take:
- MAO-B inhibitors
- dopamine D2 receptor antagonists (including phenothiazines,
butyrophenones, risperidone, metoclopramide)
- isoniazid
- iron salts or multivitamins that contain iron salts
Patients are not to drive, operate machinery, or do other
activities until they know how INBRIJA affects them. Sleepiness and
falling asleep suddenly can happen as late as a year after
treatment is started.
Patients should tell their healthcare provider if they
experience the following side effects:
- falling asleep during normal daily activities with or
without warning. If patients become drowsy, they should not drive
or do activities where they need to be alert. Chances of falling
asleep during normal activities increases if patients take medicine
that cause sleepiness.
- withdrawal-emergent hyperpyrexia and confusion (fever,
stiff muscles, or changes in breathing and heartbeat) if patients
suddenly stop using INBRIJA or carbidopa/levodopa medicines, or
suddenly lower their dose of carbidopa/levodopa.
- low blood pressure when standing up (that may be with
dizziness, fainting, nausea, and sweating). Patients should get up
slowly after sitting or lying down.
- hallucinations and other psychosis – INBRIJA may cause
or worsen seeing/hearing/believing things that are not real;
confusion, disorientation, or disorganized thinking; trouble
sleeping; dreaming a lot; being overly suspicious or feeling people
want to harm them; acting aggressive, and feeling
agitated/restless.
- unusual uncontrollable urges such as gambling, binge
eating, shopping, and sexual urges has occurred in some people
using medicine like INBRIJA.
- uncontrolled, sudden body movements (dyskinesia) may be
caused or worsened by INBRIJA. INBRIJA may need to be stopped or
other Parkinson’s medicines may need to be changed.
- bronchospasm – people with asthma, COPD, or other lung
diseases may wheeze or have difficulty breathing after inhaling
INBRIJA. If patients have these symptoms, they should stop taking
INBRIJA and seek immediate medical attention.
- increased eye pressure in patients with glaucoma.
Healthcare providers should monitor this.
- changes in certain lab values including liver
tests.
The most common side effects of INBRIJA include cough, upper
respiratory tract infection, nausea, and change in the color of
saliva or spit.
No more than 1 dose (2 capsules) should be inhaled for any OFF
period. No more than 5 doses (10 capsules) of INBRIJA should be
used in a day.
Please see the accompanying Full Prescribing Information
available at www.INBRIJA.com/prescribing-information.PDF.
About Acorda Therapeutics
Acorda Therapeutics develops therapies to restore function and
improve the lives of people with neurological disorders. INBRIJA is
approved for intermittent treatment of OFF episodes in adults with
Parkinson’s disease treated with carbidopa/levodopa. INBRIJA is not
to be used by patients who take or have taken a nonselective
monoamine oxidase inhibitor such as phenelzine or tranylcypromine
within the last two weeks. INBRIJA utilizes Acorda’s innovative
ARCUS® pulmonary delivery system, a technology platform designed to
deliver medication through inhalation. Acorda also markets the
branded AMPYRA® (dalfampridine) Extended Release Tablets, 10
mg.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements. All
statements, other than statements of historical facts, regarding
management's expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects
should be considered forward-looking. These statements are subject
to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially, including: we may not be able to successfully
market AMPYRA, INBRIJA or any other products under development; the
COVID-19 pandemic, including related quarantines and travel
restrictions, and the potential for the illness to affect our
employees or consultants or those that work for other companies we
rely upon, could have a material adverse effect on our business
operations or product sales; our ability to raise additional funds
to finance our operations, repay outstanding indebtedness or
satisfy other obligations, and our ability to control our costs or
reduce planned expenditures; risks associated with the trading of
our common stock and our reverse stock split; risks related to our
workforce, including our ability to realize the expected benefits
of our corporate restructuring; risks associated with complex,
regulated manufacturing processes for pharmaceuticals, which could
affect whether we have sufficient commercial supply of INBRIJA to
meet market demand; our reliance on third-party manufacturers for
the production of commercial supplies of AMPYRA and INBRIJA; third
party payers (including governmental agencies) may not reimburse
for the use of INBRIJA or our other products at acceptable rates or
at all and may impose restrictive prior authorization requirements
that limit or block prescriptions; competition for INBRIJA, AMPYRA
and other products we may develop and market in the future,
including increasing competition and accompanying loss of revenues
in the U.S. from generic versions of AMPYRA (dalfampridine)
following our loss of patent exclusivity; the ability to realize
the benefits anticipated from acquisitions, among other reasons
because acquired development programs are generally subject to all
the risks inherent in the drug development process and our
knowledge of the risks specifically relevant to acquired programs
generally improves over time; the risk of unfavorable results from
future studies of INBRIJA (levodopa inhalation powder) or from our
other research and development programs, or any other acquired or
in-licensed programs; the occurrence of adverse safety events with
our products; the outcome (by judgment or settlement) and costs of
legal, administrative or regulatory proceedings, investigations or
inspections, including, without limitation, collective,
representative or class action litigation; failure to protect our
intellectual property, to defend against the intellectual property
claims of others or to obtain third party intellectual property
licenses needed for the commercialization of our products; and
failure to comply with regulatory requirements could result in
adverse action by regulatory agencies.
These and other risks are described in greater detail in our
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We may not
actually achieve the goals or plans described in our
forward-looking statements, and investors should not place undue
reliance on these statements. Forward-looking statements made in
this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and we
disclaim any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking
statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of
this press release.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210412005301/en/
Tierney Saccavino (917) 783-0251 tsaccavino@acorda.com
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