Schwarz Pharma wins EU Neupro approval

Schwarz Pharma has announced that it has received European Medicines Agency (EMEA) marketing approval for its Parkinson’s disease patch Neupro. The patch will now be marketed throughout the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Neupro is a 24-hour patch, providing the active ingredient rotigotine. Clinical trials have shown that the patch is effective in treating patients with advanced-stage Parkinson’s disease. Schwarz Pharma is also adapting a rotigotine patch for use in restless legs syndrome therapy, with the results of the double-blind placebo controlled trials due in early 2007.

“This is a historic moment for our company,” said Schwarz Pharma chief executive officer Patrick Schwarz-Schuette. “We will start with the market introduction in Germany and the United Kingdom within the next weeks,” he added.

Approximately four million people suffer from Parkinson’s around the world. Rotigotine tackles the symptoms of the disease stimulating the body’s production of the nerve agent dopamine, counteracting the effects of Parkinson’s disease.

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