PARIS (AFX) - Rasagiline, a new drug to be marketed in Europe by H Lundbeck AS and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd, is an excellent addition to the small range of products that can help the motor functions of people with advanced Parkinson's disease, according to a study to be published in The Lancet tomorrow.
An 18-week trial of 687 long-term Parkinson's patients saw rasagiline tested as an adjuvant alongside another drug in this category called entacapone, and against a placebo.
Rasaligine was effective in tackling dyskenesia and was as good as entacapone in reducing the "off time," when motor functions failed to respond to levadopa, by around 1.2 hours per day on average. In addition, the drug was simple to use, as a single oral daily dose, and was well tolerated. Dyskenesia is a condition occurring among patients who have been taking the Parkinson's drug levodopa for a number of years which causes involuntary twitches of the face, body and limbs.
"Rasagiline is an effective, safe and simple treatment for Parkinson's, when used in combination with levodopa," said chief researcher Olivier Rascol of University Hospital in Toulouse, France.
Under the terms of the two companies' agreement, Lundbeck will market rasagiline in Europe and in a number of overseas markets, in a joint effort with Teva, while Teva retains exclusive marketing rights in the rest of the world, including North America. The drug will shortly be licensed for sale by Teva under the brand name Agilect in the US and Azilect in Europe.
cmr/ra
For more information and to contact AFX: www.afxnews.com and www.afxpress.com
An 18-week trial of 687 long-term Parkinson's patients saw rasagiline tested as an adjuvant alongside another drug in this category called entacapone, and against a placebo.
Rasaligine was effective in tackling dyskenesia and was as good as entacapone in reducing the "off time," when motor functions failed to respond to levadopa, by around 1.2 hours per day on average. In addition, the drug was simple to use, as a single oral daily dose, and was well tolerated. Dyskenesia is a condition occurring among patients who have been taking the Parkinson's drug levodopa for a number of years which causes involuntary twitches of the face, body and limbs.
"Rasagiline is an effective, safe and simple treatment for Parkinson's, when used in combination with levodopa," said chief researcher Olivier Rascol of University Hospital in Toulouse, France.
Under the terms of the two companies' agreement, Lundbeck will market rasagiline in Europe and in a number of overseas markets, in a joint effort with Teva, while Teva retains exclusive marketing rights in the rest of the world, including North America. The drug will shortly be licensed for sale by Teva under the brand name Agilect in the US and Azilect in Europe.
cmr/ra
For more information and to contact AFX: www.afxnews.com and www.afxpress.com
© 2005 AFX News
