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No wonder people with Huntington's Disease are depressed, you'd have to be insane not to be. That goes for PD too. We're supposed to be jumping for joy? ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Cottingham" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 3:50 AM Subject: New Data Reported on Tetrabenazine in Patients with Movement Disorders and a History of Depression; Findings Presented at 9th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders > The source of this article is PharmaLive: http://tinyurl.com/7xely > > New Data Reported on Tetrabenazine in Patients with Movement Disorders and > a > History of Depression; Findings Presented at 9th International Congress of > Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders > > > NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 8, 2005 - New data show the > investigational therapy tetrabenazine may be a safe and viable treatment > option for patients with hyperkinetic movement disorders who have a prior > history of depression, according to research presented this week at the > 9th > International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders in > New > Orleans. > > "Depression is common among people with Huntington's Disease," said Joseph > Jankovic, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Director, Parkinson's Disease > Center and Movement Disorders Clinic, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, > and lead study investigator. "These new data show that a prior history of > depression should not preclude patients from being treated with > tetrabenazine." > > > > Previous studies have demonstrated that tetrabenazine, a dopamine depleter > that works by selectively blocking vesicular monoamine transporter 2 > (VMAT2), improves the symptoms associated with a number of hyperkinetic > movement disorders. Clinical study investigators believe serotonin and > nonadrenaline depletion are likely mechanisms of tetrabenazine-induced > depression, which has been reported to occur in approximately 15 percent > of > patients treated with the drug. > > Study Design and Results > > One objective of the retrospective analysis was to provide data on the > potential relationship between pre-existing depression and subsequent use > of > tetrabenazine. A total of 518 medical charts were reviewed for men and > women > aged 3-87 years treated with tetrabenazine at Baylor College of Medicine. > The indications for treatment included Huntington's Disease and other > choreas (31.3%), tardive dyskinesia (30.1%), dystonia (27.4%), Tourette > syndrome (18.3%) and myoclonus (3.7%). > > Responses were assessed using a previously published response scale. Prior > to initiation of tetrabenazine treatment, 272 patients (52.5 %) had a > documented history of depression and/or prior treatment with > antidepressant > therapy. Adverse events were captured and coded according to their > relationship to the drug, as well as an existing relationship to any > pre-existing concomitant conditions, such as depression. > > Results of the retrospective analysis showed that the percentage of > patients > who discontinued treatment was not statistically different in patients > with > a prior history of depression (3.3%) and those with no prior history of > depression (2.8%). > > The majority of treated patients experienced marked improvement in their > movement disorders. The mean duration of treatment was 29.7 months and the > mean dosage was 62 mg/day. During tetrabenazine treatment, 50 patients > (18.4%) had an exacerbation of their depression or required a change in > antidepressant (15.4%) and 28 patients (11.4%) experienced depression for > the first time. A total of 16 patients (3.1%) discontinued treatment due > to > an adverse event of depression. > > Most adverse events were dose-related, temporary and rapidly reversed. The > most frequent adverse events included drowsiness or fatigue (27.4%), > parkinsonism (11.8%), depression (9.5%), and akathisia (8.9%). No > orthostatic hypotension or new onset tardive dyskinesia was reported. In > this large cohort, the incidence of depression as an adverse event was > lower > than in previously published studies. > > Hyperkinetic movement disorders, including Huntington's Disease, other > choreas and tardive dyskinesia, are characterized by abnormal involuntary > movements. > > Tetrabenazine > > Tetrabenazine is available in some European markets and Australia as > XENAZINE(R) and in Canada as NITOMAN(R) for the treatment of hyperkinetic > movement disorders. Although currently an investigational drug in the > U.S., > tetrabenazine can have a profound effect on chorea, with many patients > demonstrating marked to good improvement. Side effects can include > drowsiness, insomnia, akathisia and depression. > > Prestwick Pharmaceuticals > > Prestwick Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an emerging specialty pharmaceutical > company that focuses on treatments for CNS disorders. The company has > multiple product candidates in clinical development for Huntington's > Disease, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. > > Prestwick recently announced positive Phase III results of the > investigational drug tetrabenazine for chorea associated with Huntington's > Disease. The company anticipates filing a New Drug Application (NDA) for > tetrabenazine with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the near > future. Prestwick was granted both fast track and orphan designation by > the > FDA for tetrabenazine as a therapy for chorea associated with Huntington's > Disease. > > Contact MCS Public Relations Ginger H. Simms, 800-477-9626 Onsite ICPDMD: > 908-531-7690 [log in to unmask] > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn