The FDA yesterday announced that manufacturers of pergolide products (Permax and its generics, used to treat Parkinson disease) have voluntarily agreed to remove the drugs from the market.
The agreement follows recent publication of two studies that confirmed a link between pergolide and cardiac-valve regurgitation. If patients need to continue dopamine agonist therapy, the FDA recommends that physicians consider one of three other dopamine agonists approved for treating Parkinson disease that are not associated with heart-valve damage. If treatment is discontinued, it should be done gradually by reducing dosage; abrupt withdrawal from dopamine agonist therapy can be dangerous, the FDA warns.
