Side-Effects, Potency Trade-Off for Parkinson Drugs
NEW YORK, October 17, 2000 (Reuters Health) - Since the 1960s, the drug
levodopa has
been used to slow the disabling effects of Parkinson's disease. Yet
because
the drug can have its own troubling side effects and must be used over
years,
it remains questionable whether it should be given to patients as their
first
treatment.
Now, researchers have found that starting off with another drug produces
fewer side effects than levodopa, but may not fight the disease as well.
In a study of more than 300 Parkinson's patients, investigators found
that
those on the drug pramipexole had half as many of the problems linked to
levodopa--mainly involuntary, sudden movements. Yet after 2 years,
patients on levodopa reported a higher quality of life compared with
pramipexole patients.
Researchers led by Dr. Robert Holloway of the University of Rochester in
New York report the findings in the October 18th issue of The Journal of
the American Medical Association (news - web sites).
A chronic disorder of the motor system, Parkinson's disease disrupts
coordination, balance and movement. The disease is linked to a loss of
brain cells that produce the chemical dopamine. Levodopa helps replenish
the brain's dwindling dopamine supply. Pramipexole belongs to a class of
drugs that mimic dopamine's action in the
brain.
Although in this study early treatment with pramipexole created fewer
levodopa-linked side effects, levodopa was still the stronger
anti-Parkinson's drug. This, the researchers suggest, means treatment
decisions for early Parkinson's need to be made on an individual basis.
The team writes that further study is needed to determine which drug
this ``trade off'' favors.
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association 2000;284:1931-
Copyright © 2000 Yahoo! Inc., and Reuters Limited.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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