First Skin Patch to Treat Parkinson's Disease

FDA recently approved the first transdermal patch intended to treat the symptoms of early Parkinson's disease. The patch is called Neupro, and it is made by Schwarz Biosciences.

The Neupro patch delivers the drug rotigotine continuously through the skin. Rotigotine is a dopamine agonist, so like other drugs of this type, it works by activating dopamine receptors in the body. The patient applies a new patch every 24 hours.

The effectiveness of Neupro was demonstrated in three studies that involved over 1,100 patients with early Parkinson's disease who were not taking other Parkinson's medications. Patients in these studies experienced improvement in activities of daily living and motor skills.

The most common side effects included reactions at the application site, dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, somnolence, and insomnia. Some patients also reported falling asleep during daily activities such as driving, sometimes without warning.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Parkinson's
• Disease
• Neupro
• Transdermal
• Patch
• FDA
• Rotigotine

[2009TheBec]

What about the rest of the side effects like compulsive behaviour etc???