By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer 46 minutes ago
A drug used by several thousand patients with Parkinson's disease is being pulled from the market because of reports of heart valve damage.
The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday that pergolide, sold under the name Permax and also in generic versions, is being withdrawn at the agency's request.
There are other drugs in the same class that can be substituted, Dr. Robert Temple of the FDA's office of drug evaluation said at a briefing.
At least 14 patients have needed to have heart valves replaced, Temple said, adding he believes that is an underestimate.
He estimated that between 12,000 and 25,000 people currently used the drug, which is known as a dopamine agonist.
"Our conclusion is that pergolide has no demonstrated advantage over other therapies," Temple said. "We believe almost all patients can be converted to another drug."
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