Jorge and Charles and Jim,

I have not read the primary article but if the NEJM holds here to their
usual high standards of review it is more than market research that is
operative here.     While I would not put it beyond the ethics of a drug
company to slant data I highly doubt that they put one over on the NEJM
editorial staff. but it is possible.  I would like to review the article if
someone has it in an easily transmissible form. The citation is as follows:

A five-year study of the incidence of dyskinesia in patients with early
Parkinson's disease who were treated with ropinirole or levodopa
O Rascol, DJ Brooks, AD Korczyn, PP De Deyn, CE Clarke, AE Lang, for the
056 Study Group
NEJM 2000;342:1484-91

Early use of ropinirole alone or in combination with levodopa reduces the
incidence of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease, according to
this double-blind study. The data in this study were originally presented
at the XIIIth International Congress on Parkinson's Disease, July 24-28,
1999, Vancouver, Canada, as reported by E-MOVE in
http://www.wemove.org/ema/em_pd_01.html.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jorge A Romero, MD" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2000 8:20 AM
Subject: Re: questions for Charles Murray


> To Charles Murray and Benjamin Winter:
>
> To the statement that "Research suggested starting with Sinemet was unwise
> if an
> agonist would work," I would only comment that
>
> it is important to ask what kind of research.
>
> If you are talking about MARKET research, then it is certainly unwise to
> start with levodopa if you own stock in any one of the companies that make
> the agonists.
>
> Remember that the data used to promote the agonists is being pitted
against
> 30 years of good experience with levodopa.  There is not a single drug
used
> to treat Parkinson's that has the safety and efficacy record that levodopa
> has when used correctly.
>
> Jorge Romero, MD
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Benjamin Winter" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, June 02, 2000 10:26 PM
> Subject: questions for Charles Murray
>
>
> > Charles,
> >
> > You wrote:
> > "Research suggested starting with Sinemet was unwise if an
> > agonist would work ... and studies seem to be showing that
> > this is a wise way to start treatment in mild cases."
> >
> > I would appreciate some leads to the research, some
> > references to the studies, that you are referring to.
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Ben Winter 66/66/64
> > Not on any meds yet - the great weather in Victoria BC is
> > enough to keep me going (for now).
> >