In this retrospective study, we evaluated both efficacy and effectiveness of 
safinamide 50 and 100 mg in the treatment of motor fluctuations and disabling 
dyskinesias in a cohort of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). 
Ninety-one PD patients were evaluated during the first year of commercialization 
of the drug, both prior to starting safinamide and at the last available 
follow-up. Evaluations were based on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Scale part 
III (UPDRS III), Hoehn & Yahr (HY), Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) 
walking and balance item 9 score, daily time spent in OFF and in ON with 
disabling dyskinesias (1 week diary), mean daily dose of levodopa (LD), 
dopamine-agonists (DA), catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitor (COMT-I), 
monoamine oxidase B inhibitor (MAOB-I), and their LD equivalent dose (LEDD). 
Eight patients withdrew safinamide within the first month for minor side 
effects. At the follow-up evaluation, after a mean time with safinamide of 
7.5 months ± 3.4, all patients showed a significant improvement of all the scale 
scores, except for HY, and of the daily dosages of the drugs and the LEDD. The 
same results were shown by PD patients treated with safinamide 50 mg and 
patients who started safinamide without switching from a previous MAOBI. PD 
patients with safinamide 100 mg and patients who started safinamide switching 
from a previous MAOBI significantly improved in time spent in OFF and LEDD. In 
conclusion, safinamide is safe and effective in improving motor complications in 
patients with idiopathic PD and can be considered a useful levodopa sparing 
strategy.