Boehringer Ingelheim reports ‘significant’ pramipexole results in RLS

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the results of a clinical trial programme assessing the use of pramipexole in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS).

The company said results from the study showed the efficacy of the compound in treating mood disturbance, limb pain and other highly-prevalent RLS-associated symptoms.

Results from two phase IV trials were presented at the annual congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies in Madrid.

The firm said the impact of RLS is “far-reaching” with it vital new treatments emerge that address the range of symptoms that limit the daily activity of patients.

Magdolna Hornyak, assistant professor, at the Interdisciplinary Pain Centre, University Hospital, Freiburg, said: “The pramipexole clinical trials reinforce the need for a simple, effective treatment for people with RLS to address these symptoms, including limb pain and associated mood disorder, in addition to the characteristic RLS symptoms.”

She added the new study results confirm pramipexole as an effective pharmacological regimen for this indication.

Earlier this week, Boehringer Ingelheim held discussions regarding a new formulation of pramipexole currently being investigated as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease and the benefits of early treatment initiation.