Clinical pharmacology and efficacy of rotigotine (Neupro® patch) in the treatment of restless leg syndrome

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Restless legs syndrome/Willis Ekbom disease (RLS/WED) is a sensorimotor disorder characterized by unpleasant sensations in the legs accompanied by an urge to move them, that typically occurs and tend to worsen in the evening/night or during period of inactivity. Standard medications for RLS/WED are dopamine agonists and calcium channel α-2-δ ligands. The clinical spectrum of RLS/WED is very broad, ranging from individuals suffering from the disease during limited periods up to those severely affected, with daily symptoms. In such cases a long-acting drug like rotigotine should be considered.

Areas covered: The clinical pharmacology and efficacy of rotigotine was examined to evaluate the evidence supporting its use in RLS/WED.

Expert opinion: The rotigotine transdermal patch provides constant delivery of the drug, maintaining a stable plasma concentration over 24 hours by means of a single daily application. Several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of rotigotine in improving moderate-to-severe RLS/WED symptoms. Rotigotine is generally well tolerated. The most common adverse effects were application-site reactions, dose-dependent, more frequently reported in the first period of treatment. Incidence of augmentation in RLS/WED patients treated with oral dopamine agonists is higher when compared with the use of transdermal rotigotine.

KEYWORDS:

• Rotigotine
• restless leg syndrome
• dopamine agonists
• augmentation
• adverse events

Declaration of interest

L Ferini-Strambi is a member of the advisory boards of UCB-Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim and Mundipharma. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.