title: Rasagiline: a review of its use in the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Rasagiline (Azilect(®)) is an oral, second-generation, selective, irreversible monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) inhibitor approved in the US for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. In randomized, controlled trials, oral rasagiline 1 mg once daily was superior to placebo in the symptomatic treatment of early Parkinson's disease, both as monotherapy or as an adjunct to dopamine agonists. Comparisons of early-start and delayed-start treatment suggested a disease-modifying effect for rasagiline, but the results were equivocal. Rasagiline 0.5 or 1 mg/day was also superior to placebo as adjunctive therapy to levodopa in Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations. Rasagiline was generally well tolerated in clinical trials, displaying a placebo-like tolerability profile in several studies. Cost-utility studies predicted that rasagiline, either as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy, would be a cost-effective treatment option. Therefore, oral rasagiline is a valuable therapeutic option for use in all stages of Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Springer, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, 0754, Auckland, New Zealand, demail@springer.com.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: McCormack
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004347:Drug Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007189:Indans / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D007189:Indans; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; C031967:rasagiline