Thanks Warren, yes it was Aricept I was thinking of.  I"ve heard of
Rasagiline.  No problems with Tasmar?  Let us know how the Azilect works for
you.
good  luck, Ray
----- Original Message -----
From: "Warren Newman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, July 15, 2006 3:56 AM
Subject: Re: Azilect is becoming available in the US


> Hi, Ray,
>
>
>
> Maybe I should introduce myself before answering your question.  I'm 55
> years old, was diagnosed with PD over 10 years ago, and of course I had
> plenty of symptoms for years before that.  I've been a member of this
> forum
> for about 10 years, mainly as a lurker.  I was an electronics engineer
> until
> I retired in December of 2004.  The prescription drugs I generally take
> too
> much of are Sinemet 25/100, Tasmar and Mirapex.
>
>
>
> Later today I plan to introduce my body to 1 mg per day of Azilect.  I've
> been having some fluctuations (unpredictable on-offs) with my current mix
> so
> I'm hoping that the addition of this new drug will smooth things out for
> me.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Getting to your question,
>
>
>
> What's in a name?
>
>
>
> The drug I believe you're referring to is Aricept (donepezil).  The new
> drug
> for PD is Azilect (rasagiline).  It's pretty amazing how close these names
> are to each other.  I'll bet there will be lots of confusion from this for
> a
> long time to come.
>
>
>
> Aricept is used for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia in
> Alzheimer's Disease.
>
>
>
> Azilect is used for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. The drug is a
> monoamine oxidase type-B (MAO-B) inhibitor that slows the breakdown of
> dopamine within the brain.
>
>
>
> Azilect was approved for use with Parkinson's Disease by the FDA on May
> 17,
> 2006.  Apparently it takes a few months from the FDA approval date for a
> pharmaceutical company to actually get a new drug packaged and distributed
> to the retail pharmacies.  It's a monomine oxidase inhibitor (MAO-B)
> similar
> to selegiline (Eldepryl, Deprenyl) but it does not break down in the body
> to
> amphetamine.  Here's the link to the FDA's press release.
>
>
>
> www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2006/NEW01373.html
>
>
>
> I know 2 people who have been importing Azilect from Canada.  They both
> claim that the drug is helping them considerably.
>
>
>
> I'm guessing that there are a lot of people out there holding
> prescriptions
> for Azilect.  I'm still waiting for my prescription to be filled.  The
> latest info I have is that it should be ready for me at about 11AM today
> (Saturday).  The pharmacist said that their main wholesaler has already
> exhausted its initial stock and the pharmacy will be getting it from an
> alternate supplier.
>
>
>
> Warren
>
>
>
>
>
> ----Original Message-----
> From: Parkinson's Information Exchange Network
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of rayilynlee
> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 11:38 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Azilect is becoming available in the US
>
>
>
> Warren, thanks for the  info on Azilect.  Isn't that the drug that works
>
> well for Alzheimer's?   Let us know how it works for you.
>
> Ray
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> From: "Warren Newman" <[log in to unmask]>
>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 12, 2006 2:11 PM
>
> Subject: Azilect is becoming available in the US
>
>
>
>
>
>> Azilect (rasagiline) is now available to PWP's in the US or will be
>> within
>
>> a
>
>> few days.
>
>>
>
>>
>
>>
>
>> My local CVS pharmacist said it is now listed in her main computer and
>> she
>
>> ordered it for me today.  She said she will have it for me tomorrow or
>
>> Friday.
>
>>
>
>>
>
>>
>
>> I also called Teva's (the Israel-based manufacturer) Customer Service
>
>> department (215 591 3000) and they said that they have already shipped it
>
>> out to all of their US distributors.
>
>>
>
>>
>
>>
>
>> The Quest for the Cure website (http://www.questforcure.net/) is opening
>> a
>
>> user forum dedicated to Azilect.
>
>>
>
>>
>
>>
>
>> Warren Newman
>
>>
>
>>
>
>>
>
>>
>
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>
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>
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>
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>
>
>
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