A novel dopamine agonist for the transdermal treatment of Parkinson’s disease

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Abstract
Rotigotine is a non-ergot, enantio-selective, D3/D2/D1 dopamine (DA) agonist drug that is effective in classical models of Parkinson’s disease (PD), including the reserpinised mouse, the 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rat, and the MPTP-treated primate. It is active after oral administration but shows high clearance and a relatively short duration of effect. However, rotigotine is also effective after transdermal application in 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats and MPTP-treated monkeys, in both of which the duration of effect is markedly enhanced. The pharmacologic properties of rotigotine suggest that it has the characteristics necessary to form the basis of a transdermal treatment for the control of motor symptoms of PD.