Early treatment benefits of ropinirole prolonged release in Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations

In this study, the authors assessed the minimum time to symptom improvement after initiation of prolonged ropinirole release (2-24 mg/day) versus placebo in patients with moderate to advanced Parkinson’s disease not adequately controlled by levodopa. At week 2, ropinirole was superior to placebo for the change from baseline in “off” time and in “on” time without troublesome dyskinesia. At week 4, improvements were seen in change from baseline in total motor score, activities of daily living score and the cardinal symptoms of Parkinson’s disease compared to placebo. In conclusion, once-daily ropinirole can ameliorate motor fluctuations in moderate to advanced Parkinson’s patients as early as 2 weeks after treatment initiation.