The role of rasagiline in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, affecting 1% to 2% of people older than 60 years. Treatment of PD consists of symptomatic therapies while neuroprotective strategies have remained elusive. Rasagiline is a novel, potent, and irreversible monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B) inhibitor which has been approved for treatment of PD. Rasagiline inhibits MAO-B more potently than selegiline and has the advantage of once-daily dosing. In several large, randomized, placebo-controlled trials, rasagiline has demonstrated efficacy as monotherapy in early PD and as adjunctive therapy in advanced PD. In addition, rasagiline has been shown to have neuroprotective effects in in vitro and in vivo studies. The recently completed delayed-start ADAGIO (Attenuation of Disease Progression with Azilect Given Once-daily) trial suggests a potential disease-modifying effect for rasagiline 1 mg/day, though the clinical import of this finding has yet to be established.
Department of Neurology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Lahey Clinic, Burlington, MA 01805, USA. leegwa00@lahey.org
Julie
J
Leegwater-Kim
Elena
E
Bortan
D000368:Aged; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D007189:Indans; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; C031967:rasagiline