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Two drugs prescribed to treat Parkinson''s disease and similar hormonal disorders may cause severe damage to heart valves, according to two studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The drugs in questions are Permax (pergolide) and Dostinex (cabergoline). The Food and Drug Administration approved Permax to treat Parkinson''s and Dostinex to correct hyperprolactinemia, a hormonal condition in patients in the U.S.
The drugs already carry warnings about the heightened risk of heart-valve damage, as recommended by FDA in 2003 and December 2006 respectively. However, the new research could possibly lead to more label changes.
Study Findings
According to one study involving 155 patients in Milan suffering from Parkinson''s, 29 percent of those who took Dostinex and 23 percent who used Permax experienced damage to their heart valves compared to only six percent of participants in the control group.
Furthermore, another study, which analyzed the medical records of over 11,000 Parkinson''s sufferers in Britain found that those taking Permax had seven times the risk of heart-valve damage and patients using Dostinex had five times the risk.
Expert Opinions
Dr. Michael S. Okun, medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation, says that patients who use Dostinex or Permax should be aware of the new research and have the chance to switch to safer medications.
However, Dr. Bryan L. Roth, a professor of pharmacology and medicinal chemistry and a researcher calls the increased risk of heart-valve problems “extraordinarily high,” claiming patients should stop using these drugs all together.
“Why would you want to subject your patient to this kind of risk? I would recommend not prescribing these drugs,” Roth said.
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