Pergolide and Parkinson's disease: new preparation. No clear benefit

(1) Levodopa is the cornerstone of therapy for Parkinson's disease, and bromocriptine is the reference drug for patients who develop motor complications on levodopa. (2) Pergolide, a dopamine agonist, is now marketed in France for the treatment of motor complications associated with levodopa therapy. (3) Four trials comparing pergolide with bromocriptine have been published. The methodological quality of these trials varies, and their published reports often lack detail. (4) Taken together, these trials fail to demonstrate that pergolide provides a tangible clinical advantage over bromocriptine. (5) Pergolide has not been compared with other dopamine agonists in double-blind trials. (6) Pergolide has the same safety profile as other dopamine agonists.