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This is probably old news, but here goes anywho. A friend of mine (fellow Boy Scout leader) is a scientist at Roche (used to call themselves Hoffman or Huffman LaRoche). The President and CEO, Patrick J. Zimmer, issued on June 9 a letter to all employees entitled "Roche Receives Approvable Letter from FDA for TASMAR." That's the name they're going to use for tolcapone. In the letter he calls the "Approvable" letter (strange wording) "... one of the last milestones on the road to final approval." He also says toward the end of his letter, "As of result of (your) efforts, we expect to launch 'TASMAR this fall, more than a year ahead of its closest competitor." Could this be pramipexole? The letter gives a brief description of PD, underestimating (?) the # of Americans with it at 500,000. He says, "Patients (hadn't really thought of myself as a 'patient,' but I suppose I am) taking TASMAR can expect significant improvement in their movement and ability to perform daily activities, as well as in the proportion of time each day that they are able to function well." Fairly positive statement, I'd say! The letter then details Roche's "long history of Roche's involvement in Parkinson's research. It was actually a Roche scientist who isolated the amino acid for levodopa all the way back in 1913. Nearly 50 years later....demonstrated the association of dopamine levels and Parkinson's disease, and ... led to Roche's launch of Laradopa, the first anti-Parkinson's drug, in 1970." I've GOT to get a scanner; I could have just put this whole thing up. I'm ask my friend to keep his eyes and ears open so he can give me any additional info he hears about it. I don't believe (but not sure) it was the scientists here in NJ who developed it. BTW, it's a European Company, not sure which one.