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I bring you all some good news from Kalamazoo Michigan. "Pharmacia & Upjohn released to the media 1/4/96 that it has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for the antiparkinsonian drug pramipexole. Pramipexole was discovered by Boehringer Ingelheim and co-developed with Pharmacia and Upjohn. A member of a class of drugs called dopamine agonists, pramipexole mimics the effects of dopamine -- the neurotransmitter whose decline and absence leads to PD. P & U is seeking approval for pramipexole for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of PD. Currently available dopamine agonists are indicated for adjunctive treatment with the drug levodopa and used predominantly in later stages of the disease. Preclinical research suggest pramipexole has three features which differentiate it from currently available dopamine agonists: it binds more slecectively to dopamine receptors; it preferentially binds to a dopamine receptor called the D3 receptor; and it is a full dopamine agonist. Currently available dopamine agonists only partially stimulate dopamine receptors. The NDA submission is based on three large phase III trials -- two trials as monotherapy in early PD and one trial as combination (with levopa) therapy in advanced PD. The company plans to file additional registration documents with health authorities worldwide in the coming weeks." Jim Ryan - [log in to unmask] 56-7