Pergolide Tablets

02 April 2007

Products Affected - Description

Permax, Valeant Pharmaceuticals
Pergolide tablets, Ivax, Par, UDL

Reason for the Shortage

Manufactures and distributors of pergolide (Permax, generics) have agreed to pull the drug from the market.¹ Pergolide is a dopamine agonist used in conjunction with levodopa and carbidopa for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The discontinuation is the result of two recent studies confirming earlier studies that patients treated with pergolide had an increased incidence of heart valve damage.¹

Estimated Resupply Dates

Pergolide is discontinued.

Implications for Patient Care

Pergolide is used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.²

Safety

Advise patients not to stop taking pergolide abruptly without consulting their healthcare professional.

Alternative Agents & Management

No single agent may be substituted for pergolide. Evaluate patients to determine alternative therapies. Other dopamine agonists are available, including amantadine, bromocriptine, carbidopa/levodopa, and selegiline.

Related Shortages

• Naloxone Injection— Resolved
• Rotigotine Transdermal Systems Patch
• Selegiline Capsules and Tablets— Resolved

1. Food and Drug Administration. MedWatch: Permax (pergolide) and generic equivalents. Available online at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2007/safety07.htm#Pergolide
2. Pergolide Mesylate. In: McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS 2007 Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 2007:2613.

Updated

Created April 2, 2007, by M. Christina Beckwith, Pharm.D., and Erin R. Fox, Pharm.D., Drug Information Specialists, University of Utah, Drug Information Service.

Back to Drug Shortage Product Bulletins