Newly Diagnosed PWP Reports on Young Onset Conference

It was only April that Todd Bishoff got the news – a PD diagnosis. Three months later he found himself attending the Annual Young-Onset Conference in Washington, DC, sponsored by the National Parkinson’s Foundation. Certainly this was a capstone to a few months of whirlwind medical education. You have taken similar classes from the Slap in Your Face School of Life. We encourage you to follow this link to Todd’s article from the Orange County Chapter of the National Parkinson’s Foundation. Genetics Playing a Larger Role in PD Onset
For those of you who are interested in the genetic science behind Parkinson’s disease, consider the paper published in the European Journal of Human Genetics. It is a great overview of a few of the different genetic studies that came out over the last few months. AZILECT® Now in a Pharmacy Near You
KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 31, 2006 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Teva Neuroscience announced today the launch of AZILECT® (rasagiline tablets), the first, once-daily treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) now available in pharmacies by prescription only. This is important news for the majority (83%) of respondents in a survey of those living with PD who report taking their PD medications up to five times/day. AZILECT® is indicated for use as initial monotherapy in early PD and as adjunct therapy to levodopa in moderate-to-advanced disease. Teva has created the PD Exercise Kit in conjunction with the launch of AZILECT®. The Kit includes

• information on the availability of once-daily AZILECT®.
• an online fitness tracker.
• PD-specific exercise options created by actress and health and fitness guru Marilu Henner.

"The launch of AZILECT® is exciting for physicians, their patients, and caregivers living with PD," said Dr. Warren Olanow, professor and chairman of the Department of Neurology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "AZILECT®'s availability and the PD Exercise Kit are new tools to help people living with PD better manage their disease." "The convenience of once-daily dosing and the flexibility of use as monotherapy in early disease or as adjunct therapy to levodopa makes AZILECT® a good treatment option for those living with PD." AZILECT® is an excellent addition to the arsenal of pharmaceuticals that PWPs have for improving life with PD. As with all medications, there are interactions and side effects that you should consider, as you weigh the decision to use AZILECT®.

• Patients should not take AZILECT if they are currently taking meperidine as it could possibly result in a serious reaction such as coma or death.
• Patients should not take AZILECT with tramadol, methadone, propoxyphene, dextromethorphan, St. John's wort, mirtazapine, or cyclobenzaprine.
• Patients should not take AZILECT with other monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), amphetamines, cold remedies containing decongestants and weight-reducing preparations containing pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, or ephedrine in order to avoid a possibly dangerous increase in blood pressure. Symptoms of this reaction include severe headache, blurred vision, difficulty thinking, seizures, chest pain, unexplained nausea or vomiting, or signs or symptoms of a stroke. Patients or caregivers should seek immediate medical attention if these symptoms or other unusual symptoms occur.
• In order to prevent a possibly dangerous increase in blood pressure, patients taking AZILECT should avoid foods and beverages high in tyramine content such as aged cheeses, air-dried meats, pickled herring, yeast extract, aged red wines, tap/draft beers, sauerkraut, and soy sauce.
• Patients taking AZILECT should not have elective surgery requiring general anesthesia, and should not receive cocaine or other local anesthesia that contains ingredients that could raise blood pressure.
• Patients should inform their physician if they are taking, or planning to take, any prescription or over-the counter drugs, especially antidepressants and ciprofloxacin.
• Patients with moderate to severe liver disease or a tumor of the adrenal gland should not take AZILECT.
• All PD patients are advised to monitor for melanoma (skin cancer) frequently and see a dermatologist on a regular basis.

Side effects seen with AZILECT (rasagiline tablets) alone are headache, joint pain and indigestion; and when taken with levodopa are uncontrolled movements (dyskinesias), accidental injury, nausea, weight loss, constipation, low blood pressure when standing, joint pain, vomiting, dry mouth, rash, and sleepiness. Patients should tell their doctor about these and any other side effects they experience when taking AZILECT. A Few Things We Learned from Mice Last Week
Last week, you may have seen stories in the news discussing some findings about a new genetic model for Parkinson’s. In essence, they figure out how to make a mouse develop PD by altering its TFAM gene. A lot of people got really excited about this. It is good science. It provides us an even better animal model for tesing potential PD treatments. However, this is just another beginning. We do not want to discount the scientists. However, we do not want people living with Parkinson’s to misinterpret the hype that comes from these news stories. It helps the laboratory for now. Hopefully it will help people currently living with Parkinson’s, as well as those a few days, months or years away from getting the news.