Permax Drug for Parkinson's Disease Can Cause Heart Disease
January 3, 2007--Two Parkinson's disease drugs cause the same kind of heart damage that led to the withdrawal of the diet drug combination fen-phen, according to two studies published today.
Patients taking the drugs pergolide, developed by Eli Lilly & Co. and sold under the brand name Permax, and cabergoline, developed by Pfizer Inc. and sold under the brand Dostinex, had a sharply higher risk of heart valve damage than those taking other therapies showed the study.
The studies analyzed the records of 11,417 patients in Britain and tested 245 patients in Italy, reinforce the results of earlier, smaller studies showing drugs that activate a cellular receptor known as 5-HT2b can cause damage to the heart valve. A damaged heart valve is a serious condition that can lead to heart failure and sudden death.
The British study showed patients taking Permax (pergolide) were 7.1 times more likely to develop heart valve damage than those who took other treatments. Patients taking the highest doses of the drug had a 37 times greater risk.
A second study, conducted in Italy, tested 245 people, of whom 155 had Parkinson's disease. Of the diseased population, one group received Permax (pergolide) one group received Dostinex (cabergoline) and one group received an alternative Parkinson's treatment. The non-diseased control group received nothing.
The results showed that 23.4 percent of patients taking Permax and 28.6 percent of patients taking Dostinex suffered heart damage, compared with just 5.6 percent in the control group which points to huge risks.
Roth said pergolide is also used to treat restless leg syndrome, a condition in which patients feel a crawling sensation in their legs combined with a need to move them.
