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On 1 Jul 2003 at 21:09, Roberta Innarella wrote: > Hi, does anyone out there know anything about Rasageline? My God-daughter > told me about it but the only thing I seem to find is clinical trials. Is it on > the market? Roberta Hi Roberta, It is still in Clinical Trials as far as I know... pending FDA approval... http://www.news8austin.com Delaying Parkinson’s Progression Updated: 6/8/2003 5:00:00 AM By: Ivanhoe Broadcast News Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system. According to the American Parkinson Disease Association, more than 1 million people in the United States are affected. Clinically, the disease is characterized by a decrease in spontaneous movements, gait difficulty, postural instability, rigidity and tremor. The disease results from the loss of dopamine in the brain, and the subsequent loss of the brain's ability to send impulses throughout the nervous system. The result can be a stiffness and lack of control of extremities, all the way up to severe tremors. While several medications have been approved for the treatment of Parkinson's, they have proven only partially successful, and the disease remains incurable. Research physicians at 32 sites of the Parkinson Study Group in the United States and Canada are involved in clinical trials with the drug rasagiline. The drug is actually a much more potent version of a pre-existing medication. In a study of more than 400 people, the drug was administered to patients showing early signs of Parkinson's disease. Dr. Mark Lew, from the University of Southern California, participated in the trial in which he gave about 20 patients the drug. He said nearly all of his patients showed improvement of symptoms after receiving rasagiline. Sixteen patients remain on the drug and continue to show positive effects. Rasagiline is an MAO-B inhibitor. MAO stands for monoamine oxidase - a brain enzyme that is believed to be responsible for brain cell death and loss of dopamine. Rasagiline inhibits this brain enzyme, which leads to an increase in dopamine. Lew feels strongly that drugs like rasagiline will be an important treatment option for Parkinson's patients in the near future. "There's no question that this will be a new and very effective treatment for Parkinson's disease once it's FDA approved," Lew said. It has not yet been FDA-approved for use in the United States. Not only does rasagiline appear to reduce symptoms in early Parkinson's patients, it also may slow the inevitable progression of the disease. Lew said studies are now underway to determine whether the drug may also be effective in patients with more advanced stages of the illness. He said those studies are also showing promise. Though still in the midst of the FDA approval process, Lew said rasagiline could be available for widespread use in Parkinson's patients within 12 to 18 months. For more information, contact: University of Southern California Division of Movement Disorders Clinical Trials Division (323) 442-5814 SOURCE: News 8 Austin http://www.news8austin.com/shared/print/default.asp?ArID=73972 I hope this answers your question... murray * * * Murray Charters <[log in to unmask]> http://www.geocities.com/murraycharters/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn