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Novel drug-delivery systems designed to provide constant dopaminergic stimulation may theoretically improve long-term motor outcomes in Parkinson disease (PD). Researchers conducted a manufacturer-sponsored, placebo-controlled trial of the safety and efficacy of rotigotine, a nonergoline dopamine agonist delivered as a once-daily transdermal patch. They randomized 96 patients to receive placebo and 181 to receive rotigotine, titrated up to 6 mg per day over a 3-week period, followed by maintenance for 6 months. The primary outcome was change in the combined activities-of-daily-living (ADL) and motor subscales of the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) from baseline to end of maintenance.
A slightly larger proportion of placebo tha…