FDA Approves Juvmo (Tavapadon): AbbVie's Once-Daily Next-Generation Dopamine Agonist for Parkinson's Disease
On September 25, 2026, the FDA approved Juvmo (tavapadon), AbbVie's once-daily oral treatment for Parkinson's disease in adults — the agency's 43rd novel drug approval of 2026. The drug is the first approval to emerge from AbbVie's $8.7 billion acquisition of Cerevel Therapeutics (announced December 2023, closed 2024).
Reuters: "The US Food and Drug Administration has approved AbbVie's treatment for Parkinson's disease in adults... The drug tavapadon, which AbbVie gained access to through its $8.7 billion acquisition of Cerevel Therapeutics in 2023, comes as a once-a-day pill. It will be sold under the brand name Juvmo."
What it is: Juvmo works by mimicking dopamine, the brain chemical that declines in Parkinson's. Endpoints describes it as a D1/D5 agonist "expected to provide the symptom relief of its predecessors but with" fewer side effects than older dopamine agonists — the design rationale for tavapadon's dopamine-receptor selectivity. The approval was based on AbbVie's late-stage TEMPO trial program, which showed symptom improvement; the most common side effects in the trials were nausea, dizziness and headache.
Commercial stakes: More than 11 million people live with Parkinson's worldwide per AbbVie. Citi analysts had expected a Q3 2026 launch but forecast gradual uptake as Medicare coverage negotiations proceed; AbbVie continues to target more than $5 billion in combined Parkinson's disease sales. AbbVie did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on launch and pricing.
The FDA's 2026 novel-approvals list entries around it show the pace of the fall approval wave: Atebrioz (zilurgisertib, FOP) on 9/25, Lyrfigtu (lirafugratinib, cholangiocarcinoma) on 9/23, and Onswik (insulin efsitora, weekly basal insulin) on 9/23 — see FDA Approves Atebrioz (Zilurgisertib) — Third-Ever FOP Drug, Approved on a Secondary Endpoint After the Prespecified Primary Missed, FDA Approves Lyrfigtu (Lirafugratinib) for Previously Treated FGFR2-Positive Bile Duct Cancer, FDA Approves Onswik (Insulin Efsitora Alfa-Gobe) — the First Once-Weekly Basal Insulin for Type 2 Diabetes in the U.S..