GSK reports ‘smoother blood levels’ with Requip XL

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has reported that its Parkinson’s disease treatment Requip XL (ropinirole extended-release tablets) can provide patients with smoother blood levels than that achieved with multiple doses.

The tablets provide a continuous delivery of the compound over a 24-hour period and can avoid the peaks and troughs of the compound usually observed in multiple daily doses.

Requip XL has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as the first once-daily non-ergot dopamine agonist in this indication.

Rajesh Pahwa, professor of neurology and director of the Parkinson?s Disease and Movement Disorder Centre at the University of Kansas Medical Centre, said: “Many patients require multiple doses of one or more medications to control their Parkinson’s symptoms, which makes taking their medicines correctly and at the right times challenging.”

He added that some Parkinson’s disease patients have trouble in completing self-care and routine activities of daily living.

Dr Pawha said Requip XL can provide a vital once-daily treatment option for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

In September 2006, GSK reported that Requip can reduce the period of off-time in Parkinson’s disease patients – the period of time where symptoms return as the drug wears off – by over two hours a day.