New dopamine agonist patch to treat Parkinson's disease
Drug delivery via a patch allows constant stimulation of dopamine
receptors |
A new dopamine agonist for the treatment of early stage Parkinson's disease has been launched this week by Schwarz Pharma.
Rotigotine (Neupro) is delivered via a transdermal patch, which should
be applied to dry, intact, healthy skin once every 24 hours. Transdermal
delivery over 24 hours ensures stable plasma drug levels hence avoiding
the peaks and troughs that can lead to fluctuations in symptom control,
says Schwarz Pharma.
Rotigotine is licensed for use as monotherapy (ie, without levodopa)
for early stage, idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. The starting dose
is 2mg/24 hours, increased by 2mg/24 hours each week to a maximum of
8mg/24 hours.
The most commonly reported side effects include nausea, vomiting, somnolence,
dizziness and application site reactions. Hallucinations, sleep attacks
and compulsive behaviours have also been reported. Rotigotine is not
an ergot-derived dopamine agonist and so does not carry the same warnings
about fibrotic reactions as these dopamine agonists.
Rotigotine stimulates all subtypes of dopamine receptors, with preference
for D3 over D2 and over D1, the company says.
Notice-board p413 |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader