Here's info te TASMAR (Tolcapone) which was requested >Date: Mon, 02 Feb 1998 12:12:09 -0500 (EST) >From: "LIST Helen K. Mason" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: TASMAR >Sender: Parkinson's Information Exchange <[log in to unmask]> >To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-to: Parkinson's Information Exchange <[log in to unmask]> >Date: Friday, January 30, 1998 5:33:42 PM >From: AOL News >Subj: FDA Clears Parkinson's Drug TASMAR(R) Tolcapone) for... > >FDA Clears Parkinson's Drug TASMAR(R) Tolcapone) for U.S. Marketing; First of >a New Class of Drugs Called COMT Inhibitors > >NUTLEY, N.J., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoffmann-La Roche announced today that >it received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market >TASMAR(R) (tolcapone), the first of a new class of Parkinson's disease drugs >called COMT inhibitors. TASMAR significantly improves a patient's ability to >function and perform basic daily activities when taken in combination with the >current standard of therapy, levodopa/carbidopa. Clinical studies found that >advanced Parkinson's disease patients gained a daily average of 1.7 - 2.9 >hours of "on" time, periods of relatively good functioning, with the combined >therapy. > >TASMAR is indicated for use in conjunction with levodopa/carbidopa, in both >"non-fluctuating" and "fluctuating" Parkinson's disease patients. TASMAR was >evaluated in patients whose Parkinson's disease was characterized by >deterioration in their response to levodopa at the end of a dosing interval >("fluctuating patients" with wearing-off phenomena). Additionally it was >evaluated in patients whose response to levodopa was relatively stable ("non- >fluctuators"). > >A progressive neurological disorder, Parkinson's disease affects one and one- >half million Americans. Symptoms include uncontrollable tremors or shaking, >slowness of movements, stiffness, poor balance and a shuffling walk. There is >no cure for Parkinson's disease; current therapies focus on symptom control. > >"TASMAR is an important new option for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. >When used in conjunction with levodopa, patients experience rapid and >significant improvement in many of their symptoms," said William Koller, M.D., >Chairman, Department of Neurology, University of Kansas Medical Center. >"Patients enjoy fewer tremors, improved mobility and overall improvement in >conducting daily activities." > >Clinical Trials Demonstrate Improvement > >In worldwide clinical trials with more than 1,500 patients, TASMAR was shown >to enhance and extend the pharmacologic actions and clinical benefits of >levodopa/carbidopa. > >Non-fluctuating patients taking TASMAR experienced statistically significant >improvements in activities of daily living as assessed by the Unified >Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), which measures such activities as >speech, handwriting, walking and dressing. These patients also experienced >improved motor function. > >In clinical studies, fluctuating patients gained a daily average of 1.7 - 2.9 >hours of "on-time". In addition, these patients experienced a significant >improvement in their symptoms, overall, as measured by the investigator's >global assessment of change. > >COMT Inhibition > >While the precise mechanism-of-action is unknown, it is believed that COMT >inhibitors work to enhance the effectiveness of levodopa by blocking one of >the main enzymes (catechol-O-methyltransferase) responsible for breaking down >levodopa in the bloodstream, before it reaches the brain. > >By inhibiting the action of the COMT enzyme, TASMAR, a COMT inhibitor, >provides smoother and more sustained levels of levodopa to the brain which it >is believed translates into more consistent and effective symptom relief for >people with Parkinson's disease. > >Extending the benefit of levodopa is important. Over time, Parkinson's >disease progresses and larger and/or more frequent doses of levodopa are >needed to relieve Parkinson's symptoms. Patients experience levodopa-induced >side effects, like uncontrolled movements (dyskinesias) and begin to fluctuate >between periods of relatively good functioning ("on-time") and periods of >relatively poor functioning ("off-time"). Clinical studies demonstrated that >by extending the effectiveness of each dose of levodopa, TASMAR helped to >"smooth out" these on-off periods -- thus increasing patients' functioning >throughout the day. > >"This is an exciting time for new research and treatment developments to >manage Parkinson's disease. Although we're still looking for a cure, COMT >inhibitors represent an entirely new class of therapy that will help the many >Parkinson's disease patients to attain better symptom control," said Emilio >Alonso-Mendoza, executive director, National Parkinson Foundation. > >In clinical trials, the most common side effects were dyskinesias (involuntary >movements), nausea, sleep disorders, dystonia, anorexia, diarrhea, somnolence, >excessive dreaming, muscle cramps, orthostatic complaints/syncope, dizziness, >headache, hallucination and confusion. TASMAR may potentiate the dopaminergic >side effects of levodopa and may require decreasing the dose of levodopa; >however some may persist despite levodopa dose adjustment. Diarrhea was the >side effect which most commonly led to discontinuation. Liver transaminases >should be monitored when initiating TASMAR and as recommended for the first 6 >months. > >To be marketed by Hoffmann-La Roche, TASMAR will be supplied in 100 mg. and >200 mg. tablets. It will be available in pharmacies nationwide beginning late >February. > >Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. is a leading research-intensive pharmaceutical company >that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets numerous important >prescription drugs that improve, prolong and save the lives of patients with >serious illnesses. Hoffmann-La Roche has a strong history in the Parkinson's >disease arena as the developer of LARODOPA(TM) (levodopa), (the first levodopa >product), and MADOPAR(TM) (levodopa/benserazide), the leading Parkinson's >medication used outside the U.S. Among the company's areas of therapeutic >interest are central nervous system disorders, virology, including HIV and >AIDS, infectious diseases, cardiology, oncology, transplantation, dermatology >and obesity. > >The company provides a wide range of medications in the United States through >its marketing and sales subsidiary, Roche Laboratories Inc. Headquartered in >Nutley, N.J., both companies are members of the Basel, Switzerland-based Roche >Group, a global leader in health care with principal businesses in >pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, vitamins, and fragrances and flavors. > >NOTE: Full prescribing information available upon request. > >. >