Variations in Parkinson's disease treatment among prescribers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK

When comparing dopamine agonist use for Parkinson's disease, more frequent use of once-daily formulations of Requip (GlaxoSmithKline's ropinirole, Requip XL/LP/Modutab/RP/Prolib) and Mirapex (Boehringer Ingelheim's pramipexole, Sifrol/Mirapexin; Mirapex ER/Mirapexin ER/Sifrol Retard) occurs in France than in the remaining top five European Union countries - Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Additionally, according to a new report form research and advisory firm Decision Resources, surveyed neurologists from France, Italy and Spain report using once-daily Requip more frequently than three-times-daily Requip.

The new European Physician & Payer Forum report titled Will Novel Formulations and Therapeutic Options in Parkinson's Disease Achieve Acceptance Among European Physicians and Payers? finds that surveyed neurologists' preference of once-daily Requip over three-times-daily Requip is most likely attributable to the convenience and improved patient compliance associated with once-daily dosing. Additionally, surveyed neurologists from Germany and the UK report use of three-times-daily Requip that is higher than their counterparts in other markets, reflective of the relatively greater use of generic drugs in these two countries.