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Rasagiline is a monoamine oxidase B inhibitor with established disease-modifying effects in Parkinson disease. Preclinical models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have shown a benefit of rasagiline, and an open-label trial of 36 ALS patients showed encouraging changes in exploratory disease biomarkers.
To determine whether rasagiline, added to standard-dose riluzole, prolongs survival in ALS patients, researchers conducted an investigator initiated, industry sponsored, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind phase 2 trial of rasagiline (1 mg/day) in 251 ALS patients already taking 100 mg/day of riluzole. Exclusion criteria included use of numerous pertinent medications, including most antidepressants and dextromethorphan. Patients…