New Drug Helps Control Tremors in Early Stages of Parkinson’s Disease
From Times staff and wire reports
A new drug called ropinirole helps control tremors and shaking in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease and delays the need for treatment with the most commonly used anti-Parkinson’s drug, levodopa, according to a study at the Medical College of Georgia. They studied 147 patients for 12 months; half received ropinirole and half received a placebo.
Dr. Kapil Sethi reported Wednesday at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Boston that only half as many of those receiving ropinirole required levodopa as did those receiving placebos. Levodopa has many side effects and patients develop tolerance to it, so delaying its use prolongs the period during which a Parkinson’s patient can be effectively treated.
