---
title: "Carbidopa/levodopa extended-release capsules: Parkinson's Drug Pipeline"
description: An extended-release levodopa pill, FDA-approved in 2024, designed to be taken fewer times a day. It is a convenience improvement, not a disease-slowing drug.
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/pipeline/crexont-extended-release-carbidopa-levodopa"
development_stage: Recently approved
last_updated: 2026-06-01
source: "Parkinson's Pathways"
---
# Carbidopa/levodopa extended-release capsules (Crexont)

**Stage:** FDA approved (2024)  ·  **Type:** Symptomatic

**Developer:** Amneal Pharmaceuticals

**How it works:** An oral capsule combining immediate- and extended-release levodopa beads so each dose lasts longer.

**Target:** Dopamine replacement

**Who it's for:** Adults with Parkinson's already taking levodopa.

**FDA approval:** August 2024

**Last reviewed:** 2026-06-01


## What it is

Crexont is a capsule that mixes fast-acting and slow-release forms of levodopa so a single dose lasts longer. The aim is to let people take levodopa fewer times per day and spend more of the day with their symptoms controlled.

## Where it stands

FDA approved in August 2024 and available by prescription.

## What the data shows so far

In its pivotal Phase 3 trial against standard immediate-release carbidopa/levodopa, people on Crexont got slightly more daily 'good on' time while taking the medicine fewer times a day. The differences were modest and the comparison ran over a few months, not years.

## What families should know

If pill timing is a daily struggle, a longer-lasting levodopa may simplify the schedule. It is the same underlying medicine, so it carries the same long-term issues and does not change the course of the disease.

## Caveats

Convenience benefit only; no effect on disease progression. Modest improvement in 'on' time versus standard levodopa. Cost and insurance coverage vary.

## Timeline

_Most recent first._

- **Aug 2024**, FDA approval in the United States.

## Sources

- [Amneal product information](https://www.amneal.com/)

_Last reviewed: 2026-06-01._

## More

- [Back to the Parkinson's drug pipeline](https://parkinsonspathways.com/pipeline)
- [Browse all recruiting trials](https://parkinsonspathways.com/trials)