WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3 (HealthDay News) -- The anti-epileptic drug zonisamide is a safe, effective and well-tolerated adjunctive treatment in doses up to 100 mg per day for patients with Parkinson disease, researchers report in the January issue of Neurology.
Miho Murata, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry in Tokyo, Japan, and colleagues conducted a randomized, controlled, double-blind, multicenter study that evaluated zonisamide (25 mg/day, 50 mg/day or 100 mg/day for 12 weeks) in 279 Parkinson disease patients who were not responsive to levodopa.
At the final assessment, the researchers found significant improvement in the baseline total scores of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III in the 25-mg and 50-mg groups compared to controls. Total daily "off" time was significantly reduced in the 50-mg and 100-mg groups compared to controls. Adverse effects were similar for 25-mg, 50-mg and placebo groups, but higher in the 100-mg group.
"Zonisamide is safe, effective and well-tolerated at 25 to 100 mg/day as an adjunctive treatment in patients with Parkinson disease," the authors conclude.
Study sponsored by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma.
Abstract
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