Anyone know if and when Ropinerole will be available in the States? Ron (49/2)=20 --------------------------------------------------------- Study Shows Ropinirole Effective Treatment For Early Parkinson`s Disease = Ropinirole Controls Motor Symptoms and Delays Need for Levodopa Therapy=20 September 3, 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 2 -- Ropinirole is an effective treatment for = controlling motor symptoms of patients with early Parkinson's disease, = according to a study published in this month's issue of "Neurology." A = six-month study showed that patients treated with ropinirole = demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in motor function.=20 In his conclusion in the article, lead investigator an author, Charles = H. Adler, M.D., Ph.D., states that ropinirole appears to be an effective = therapeutic option for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and = demonstrates a favorable safety and tolerability profile. As a result, = it seems reasonable to consider the use of ropinirole as a levodopa = sparing strategy for managing Parkinson's disease. Dr. Adler is an = associate professor of neurology, Mayo Medical School and consultant in = neurology, department of neurology, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, AZ.=20 Ropinirole Offers Effective Symptomatic Control For Early Parkinson's=20 Disease=20 In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 241 patients = with mild-to-moderate (early) Parkinson's disease received either = ropinirole or placebo. Results were obtained using the Unified = Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Physicians measured the = overall change they saw in their patients' motor function after six = months. Patients treated with ropinirole demonstrated a 24 percent = improvement in UPDRS motor score, while placebo- treated patients = demonstrated a 3 prevent worsening in motor score. In addition, 33 = percent of patients treated with ropinirole were rated as either "very = much improved" or "much improved" on the Clinical Global Impressions = (GCI) improvement item compared to 12 percent of placebo-treated = patients.=20 According to Dr. Adler, newer dopamine agonists not only provide = physicians with a new treatment approach, but they also offer several = treatment advantages. Unlike older dopamine agonists, these new drugs = have demonstrated clinical efficacy in controlled trials in the early = stages of the disease. In addition they may offer a better side effect = profile.=20 Ropinirole was well-tolerated over entire six month period. The most = common adverse experiences were nausea, dizziness and somnolence, which = were primarily related to the stimulation of dopamine receptors.=20 Early this year, results from a six month extension to this study were = presented at the 1997 American Academy of Neurology meeting. The study = demonstrated that ropinirole effectively controlled motor symptoms of = early Parkinson's disease over a twelve month period.=20 A Progressive Neurodegenerative Disorder=20 Parkinson's disease, which affects between 500,000 and 1,000,000 = Americans, is a chronic and progressive neurological disorder that = causes tremors, rigidity of the muscles and other severe motor = impairments. Parkinson's disease results from the death of nerve cells = in a critical area of the brain called the substantia nigra. These nerve = cells normally produce dopamine, a chemical messenger that plays an = important role in motor control by transmitting signals between the = substantia nigra and another critical area of the brain called the = striatum. Dopamine depletion results in an impaired ability to initiate = and control movements.=20 A Need For New Agents to Treat Early Parkinson's Disease=20 One strategy for treating Parkinson's disease is to address the dopamine = deficiency through medications that either replace dopamine or mimic its = effects. Levodopa, which is a precursor of dopamine, is administered as = a form of replacement therapy. Although this drug is very effective = initially, after long-term use many patients develop disabling side = effects which include dyskinesias (involuntary movements such as = twitching, nodding or jerking), neuropsychiatric problems (e.g. = hallucinations) and fluctuations of motor response.=20 Dopamine agonists mimic the effects of dopamine by binding to and = stimulating dopamine receptors in the brain. A reduced level of dopamine = at these receptors is believed to cause the motor symptoms of = Parkinson's disease. Clinical studies have shown the effectiveness of = ropinirole in improving the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, = either as early monotherapy or in the later stages as adjunctive therapy = with levodopa in patients experiencing motor fluctuations.=20 Ropinirole (Requip(TM), SmithKlein Beecham) is currently under review at = the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of Parkinson's = disease, both as early monotherapy and as adjunctive treatment with = levodopa.=20 Mayo is a private group practice of medicine dedicated to providing = diagnosis and treatment of patient illnesses through a systematic focus = on individual patient needs. Mayo provides comprehensive hospital and = outpatient services at each of its major locations - Rochester, Minn.; = Jacksonville, Fla.; and Scottsdale, Ariz. At each site, clinical = practice is closely integrated with advanced education and research = programs. Mayo Clinic Scottsdale offers healthcare in 62 medical and = surgical specialties and programs. Located on 274 acres at Shea = Boulevard and 134th Street, the Clinic's 190 physicians and more than = 1,500 support staff have served 365,000 patients since opening in 1987. = Mayo also provides care at primary care practices located throughout the = Valley. A Mayo hospital, under construction in northeast Phoenix at 56th = Street and Mayo Boulevard (near Union Hills Drive), is scheduled to open = in third quarter 1998.=20 SOURCE Mayo Clinic Scottsdale=20 /CONTACT: Kim Van Nimwegen of Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, 602-301-7156/=20