Dangerous Drugs - Pergolide

Missouri Pergolide Side Effects Lawyers

Originally approved in 1988 by the FDA, Pergolide is part or a multiple drug regimen used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Pergolide is used in place of the body's dopamine to help control movement, which is often affected by Parkinson's disease.

The drug is marketed as Permax by Valeant or as the generic Pergolide by Par and Teva. In March of 2007 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the voluntary removal of the drug from the market due to a risk of serious damage to heart valves of several patients.

The link between Pergolide and heart disease first emerged in 2002 and in response the FDA asked then manufacturer Eli Lilly to add the risk to heart valves to the warning section on package labeling in addition to the FDA sending a letter to healthcare practitioners outlining the warning in 2003. In 2006, the issue was reexamined and the package warning was changed to a black box warning giving more detailed information regarding the risk of heart valve damage.

Though the FDA has issued notification of the voluntary recall, patients are being warned to contact their healthcare professional to discuss alternates to the drug. Patients are suggested to continue taking Pergolide until an alternate drug treatment is put in place. Healthcare professionals have been advised of three alternatives to Pergolide that have not had similarly documented health and safety issues which may be used in its place for dopamine treatment.

As part of the voluntary recall, companies manufacturing Pergolide and Permax have stopped shipping the drugs for distribution and are in the process of pulling them from the market. The FDA has advised that it is still working with the manufacturers of the drug toward the possibility of making the drug available to patients for whom alternative treatments have been unsuccessful.

If you or a loved one has suffered heart valve damage while taking Permax or Pergolide, contact a Missouri Pergolide side effect attorney at Page || Cagle right away. Call us 24 hours a day at 314.322.8515 or toll free at 1.800.500.4658 to discuss your case and answer questions you may have. The consultation is free.

For an immediate response, contact me online.