Permax
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Permax (pergolide mesylate)
The side effects of Permax have caused serious medical complications
in some patients and have most recently been linked to heart
valve damage.
Breaking News:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced March 29, 2007
that Permax as well as two generic versions of Pergolide were
being voluntarily withdrawn from the market. The withdrawal
follows on the heels of two recent New England Journal of Medicine
articles confirming previous findings associating the drugs
with increased risk of heart valve damage.
What is Permax?
Permax is a drug used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease
and restless leg syndrome. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive
neurological disorder caused by the degeneration of nerve cells
in the movement centers of the brain. The degeneration of the
nerve cells results in a decreased level of the chemical dopamine.
A lack of dopamine results in problems with bodily movement,
causing the tremors that characterizes the disease. Permax is
prescribed to increase the level of dopamine in the body.
Permax is often used in combination with the drug Levodopa,
which is the most common treatment for Parkinson’s.
What you should be aware of:
Permax was introduced to the market in 1989. In 2003 the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required that Eli Lily, the
manufacturer of Permax, modify the package insert to warn of
the risk of heart valve damage or cardiac valvulopathy.
In January 2007 results of an Italian study were published supporting
the FDA’s 2003 warning. Italian researchers found one quarter
of Parkinson’s patients taking Permax, had moderate to
severe heart valve problems. A separate German study found that
users of Permax were 5 to 7 times more likely to experience heart
valve damage than those on other types of Parkinson’ drugs.
Both studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine
on January 3, 2007.
Doctors at the Mayo Clinic described details of the heart valve
damage caused by Permax in a report. This report identifies three
women ages 61, 72 and 74 that had been using Permax, in various
doses, for 3-7 years, for treatment of Parkinson’s. Each
woman was diagnosed with heart valve damage. None of the women
had a prior history of heart disease. Two of the women required
valve replacement surgery. Following this discovery, doctors
reviewed their surgical records to determine if other patients
undergoing heart valve replacement surgery had a history of using
Permax. Doctors found one out of seventeen patients had used
Permax.
Contact us:
If you or a loved one has been injured due to the use of Permax,
you need a Permax attorney familiar with new developments in
the investigation of Permax to help you make important personal
and legal decisions, and if needed to file a lawsuit. Contact
us now to get the help you deserve. Give us a call at 800-992-6878
or CLICK HERE for a free case evaluation.
Last Updated 3/14/07
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