Duopa therapy delivers carbidopa/levodopa by which method?

• A. Oral tablets
• B. Intravenous infusion
• C. Directly to the small intestine via PEG-J tube
• D. Inhalation

Answer: (C)

This question is about how Duopa therapy delivers carbidopa/levodopa. Duopa uses a gel form of the drugs that is delivered directly into the small intestine through a PEG-J tube (a feeding tube that goes through the abdominal wall into the jejunum) and is given continuously with a pump. Delivering the medication straight into the small intestine provides steady, absorbed levodopa over many hours, which helps create more stable dopamine levels and reduces the motor fluctuations seen with oral tablets. Bypassing the stomach avoids variability from gastric emptying and pH, leading to more predictable absorption. This is why the intestinal gel with continuous infusion is preferred for patients with advanced Parkinson disease who experience wearing-off or dyskinesias despite oral therapy. Oral tablets are swallowed and subject to variable gastric absorption; intravenous infusion is not how Duopa is administered; inhalation is a different levodopa delivery method not used for Duopa.