UCB Canada Inc. announced that Health Canada has approved NEUPRO® (rotigotine), the first and only non-ergolinic dopamine agonist available in a patch, to treat the signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD) and moderate- to-severe idiopathic restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, in adults. NEUPRO® is the first new treatment for Parkinson’s disease approved by HealthCanada in five years and provides 24-hour delivery of rotigotine through the skin into the blood stream. NEUPRO® has demonstrated efficacy in managing motor symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease. “Parkinson Society Canada is pleased to learn that Canadians living with Parkinson’s now have another treatment option to help manage the symptoms of this chronic disease,” says Joyce Gordon, President and CEO, Parkinson Society Canada. “With innovative therapies such as NEUPRO® and ongoing research into the causes of this disease, we will help to ensure a brighter future and better quality of life for Canadians living with Parkinson’s.” Although the precise mechanisms of action of NEUPRO® as treatment for PD and RLS are unknown, as a PD treatment, the mechanism of action is thought to be related to increasing the activities of the dopamine receptors within the caudate-putamen, the region of the brain that regulates movement. Similarly, in RLS, the mechanism of action of NEUPRO® is thought to be related to its ability to stimulate dopamine receptors.
