Clinical Data on the Prolonged Release Formulation of Ropinirole

Review Article

Wolfgang H. Jost¹ and Lars Bergmann²

Affiliations: ¹Deutsche Klinik für Diagnostik, Wiesbaden and ²GlaxoSmithKline GmbH, Munich, Germany

ABSTRACT

In the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD), non-ergoline dopamine agonists are considered the first-choice therapy. Ropinirole has been an internationally established therapy used to treat the signs and symptoms of idiopathic PD for more than 10 years. Because of its moderate elimination half-life, the immediate release (IR) formulation is administered three times daily. Now a prolonged release (PR) form is available, and despite administration once-daily in the morning, plasma level fluctuations are reduced over 24 hours, versus IR, allowing for symptomatic treatment during day and night time with once-daily dosing. The PR formulation can be up-titrated more rapidly and simply, reaching clinical efficacy as early as the second week of therapy. In clinical studies, higher doses of ropinirole were achieved with the PR formulation compared with the IR formulation. The results of a randomized double-blind head-to-head study of both formulations in patients with advanced PD demonstrated significantly greater efficacy and a larger l-dopa dose reduction. A positive effect on nighttime motor symptoms and quality of sleep has already been established. Because of once-daily administration, compliance and adherence may also be improved.

Keywords: ropinirole, Parkinson’s disease, dopamine agonist, prolonged release

Correspondence: Prof. Dr.Wolfgang Jost, Deutsche Klinik für Diagnostik, Aukammallee 33, 65191 Wiesbaden/Germany. Tel: 0049-611-577430;Fax: 0049-611-577311; e-mail: jost.neuro@dkd-wiesbaden.de