Boehringer Ingelheim says drug improves Parkinson’s symptoms

Boehringer Ingelheim has said that pramipexole (marketed in the UK as Mirapexin), can improve the depressive and motivational symptoms experienced by sufferers of Parkinson’s disease.

Pramipexole has been in use since 1997 for treating the disease and the new data suggests the drug is effective in treating other Parkinson’s disease symptoms other than loss of motor control.

A clinical trial involving almost 1,300 patients revealed that the drug improved depressive symptoms in 61 per cent of Parkinson’s disease patients, while motivation was improved in 64.8 per cent of patients, compared to 42.4 per cent taking the placebo.

Explaining the significance of the results, Mary Baker, patron and immediate past president of the European Parkinson’s Disease Association, remarked: “We frequently hear from people living with Parkinson’s disease that it is not necessarily the motor symptoms they find the most challenging.”

“Low mood, concern about the future and lack of motivation can have even more impact on their quality of life and the lives of those who care for them,” she added.

The latest data for the Boehringer Ingelheim drug follows a similar study into mood disturbance in subjects with restless legs syndrome (RLS). Some 72.2 per cent of pramipexole users with RLS experienced an improved mood, compared to 52.2 per cent of placebo recipients, according to the results presented in September.