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    J Clin Pharmacol. 2005 Aug;45(8):878-94.

    Clinical pharmacology of rasagiline: a novel, second-generation propargylamine for the treatment of Parkinson disease.

    Chen JJ, Swope DM.

    Movement Disorders Center, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.

    Rasagiline is a novel second-generation propargylamine that irreversibly and selectively inhibits monoamine oxidase type B (MAO-B). For the management of Parkinson disease (PD), rasagiline is efficacious across the span of PD stages ranging from monotherapy in early disease to adjunctive treatment in patients with advancing disease and motor fluctuations. Rasagiline completely and selectively inhibits MAO-B with a potency 5 to 10 times greater than selegiline. Unlike the prototype propargylamine selegiline, which is metabolized to amphetamine derivatives, rasagiline is biotransformed to aminoindan, a non-amphetamine compound. Rasagiline is well tolerated with infrequent cardiovascular or psychiatric side effects, and at the recommended therapeutic dose of up to 1 mg once daily, tyramine restriction is unnecessary. In addition to MAO-B inhibition, the propargylamine chain also confers dose-related antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects, which have been associated with neuroprotection in multiple experimental models. Thus, in addition to symptomatic benefits, rasagiline offers the promise of clinically relevant neuroprotection.

    PMID: 16027398 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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    Patient drug information

    • Selegiline (Eldepryl®, Zelapar®)

      Selegiline is used to help control the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD; a disorder of the nervous system that causes difficulties with movement, muscle control, and balance) in people who are taking levodopa and carb...

    • Rasagiline (Azilect®)

      Rasagiline is used alone or in combination with another medication to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease (a slowly progressing disease of the nervous system causing a fixed face without expression, tremor at rest,...