Sunday, April 08, 2007

Health Canada reviewing link between Parkinson's drug Permax and heart valve conditions

From Health Canada:
Health Canada is informing Canadians that Permax, a drug used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, has been withdrawn from the U.S. market amidst concerns about an association with cardiac valvulopathy, a condition involving inflammation or stiffening of the heart valves.

Permax (a brand name of the drug pergolide) has been marketed in Canada since 1991 for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The risk of heart valve problems has been known with this drug and is in the current labelling. Health Canada communicated information regarding this risk to Canadian healthcare providers and patients in 2003 and again in 2004.
For the public

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