Source: European Medicines Agency (EU) Revision Year: 2021 Publisher: Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Binger Strasse 173, D-55216 Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany
Pharmacotherapeutic group: anti-Parkinson drugs, dopamine agonists
ATC code: N04BC05
Pramipexole is a dopamine agonist that binds with high selectivity and specificity to the D2 subfamily of dopamine receptors of which it has a preferential affinity to D3 receptors, and has full intrinsic activity.
Pramipexole alleviates parkinsonian motor deficits by stimulation of dopamine receptors in the striatum. Animal studies have shown that pramipexole inhibits dopamine synthesis, release, and turnover.
In human volunteers, a dose-dependent decrease in prolactin was observed. In a clinical trial with healthy volunteers, where SIFROL prolonged-release tablets were titrated faster (every 3 days) than recommended up to 3.15 mg pramipexole base (4.5 mg of salt) per day, an increase in blood pressure and heart rate was observed. Such effect was not observed in patient studies.
In patients pramipexole alleviates signs and symptoms of idiopathic Parkinson’s disease. Placebocontrolled clinical trials included approximately 1,800 patients of Hoehn and Yahr stages I – V treated with pramipexole. Out of these, approximately 1,000 were in more advanced stages, received concomitant levodopa therapy, and suffered from motor complications.
In early and advanced Parkinson’s disease, efficacy of pramipexole in controlled clinical trials was maintained for approximately six months. In open continuation trials lasting for more than three years there were no signs of decreasing efficacy.
In a controlled double blind clinical trial of 2 year duration, initial treatment with pramipexole significantly delayed the onset of motor complications, and reduced their occurrence compared to initial treatment with levodopa. This delay in motor complications with pramipexole should be balanced against a greater improvement in motor function with levodopa (as measured by the mean change in UPDRS-score). The overall incidence of hallucinations and somnolence was generally higher in the escalation phase with the pramipexole group. However, there was no significant difference during the maintenance phase. These points should be considered when initiating pramipexole treatment in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
The safety and efficacy of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease was evaluated in a multinational drug development program consisting of three randomised, controlled trials. Two trials were conducted in patients with early Parkinson’s disease and one trial was conducted in patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease.
Superiority of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets over placebo was demonstrated after 18 weeks of treatment on both the primary (UPDRS Parts II+III score) and the key secondary (CGI-I and PGI-I responder rates) efficacy endpoints in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial including a total of 539 patients with early Parkinson’s disease. Maintenance of efficacy was shown in patients treated for 33 weeks. SIFROL prolonged-release tablets were non-inferior to pramipexole immediate release tablets as assessed on the UPDRS Parts II+III score at week 33.
In a double-blind placebo-controlled trial including a total of 517 patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease who were on concomitant levodopa therapy superiority of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets over placebo was demonstrated after 18 weeks of treatment on both the primary (UPDRS Parts II+III score) and the key secondary (off-time) efficacy endpoints.
The efficacy and tolerability of an overnight switch from SIFROL tablets to SIFROL prolongedrelease tablets at the same daily dose were evaluated in a double-blind clinical study in patients with early Parkinson’s disease.
Efficacy was maintained in 87 of 103 patients switched to SIFROL prolonged-release tablets. Out of these 87 patients, 82.8% did not change their dose, 13.8% increased and 3.4% decreased their dose. In half of the 16 patients who did not meet the criterion for maintained efficacy on UPDRS Part II+III score, the change from baseline was considered not clinically relevant.
Only one patient switched to SIFROL prolonged-release tablets experienced a drug-related adverse event leading to withdrawal.
The European Medicines Agency has waived the obligation to submit the results of studies with SIFROL in all subsets of the paediatric population in Parkinson’s Disease (see section 4.2 for information on paediatric use).
Pramipexole is completely absorbed following oral administration. The absolute bioavailability is greater than 90%.
In a Phase I trial, where pramipexole immediate release and prolonged-release tablets were assessed in fasted state, the minimum and peak plasma concentration (Cmin, Cmax) and exposure (AUC) of the same daily dose of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets given once daily and SIFROL tablets given three times a day were equivalent.
The once daily administration of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets causes less frequent fluctuations in the pramipexole plasma concentration over 24 hours compared to the three times daily administration of pramipexole immediate release tablets.
The maximum plasma concentrations occur at about 6 hours after administration of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets once daily. Steady state of exposure is reached at the latest after 5 days of continuous dosing.
Concomitant administration with food does generally not affect the bioavailability of pramipexole. Intake of a high fat meal induced an increase in peak concentration (Cmax) of about 24% after a single dose administration and about 20% after multiple dose administrations and a delay of about 2 hours in time to reach peak concentration in healthy volunteers. Total exposure (AUC) was not affected by concomitant food intake. The increase in Cmax is not considered clinically relevant. In the Phase III studies that established safety and efficacy of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets, patients were instructed to take study medication without regard to food intake.
While body weight has no impact on the AUC, it was found to influence the volume of distribution and therefore the peak concentrations Cmax. A decreased body weight by 30 kg results in an increase in Cmax of 45%. However, in Phase III trials in Parkinson’s disease patients no clinically meaningful influence of body weight on the therapeutic effect and tolerability of SIFROL prolonged-release tablets was detected.
Pramipexole shows linear kinetics and a small inter-patient variation of plasma levels.
In humans, the protein binding of pramipexole is very low (<20%) and the volume of distribution is large (400 l). High brain tissue concentrations were observed in the rat (approx. 8-fold compared to plasma).
Pramipexole is metabolised in man only to a small extent.
Renal excretion of unchanged pramipexole is the major route of elimination. Approximately 90% of 14C-labelled dose is excreted through the kidneys while less than 2% is found in the faeces. The total clearance of pramipexole is approximately 500 ml/min and the renal clearance is approximately 400 ml/min. The elimination half-life (t½) varies from 8 hours in the young to 12 hours in the elderly.
Repeated dose toxicity studies showed that pramipexole exerted functional effects, mainly involving the CNS and female reproductive system, and probably resulting from an exaggerated pharmacodynamic effect of pramipexole.
Decreases in diastolic and systolic pressure and heart rate were noted in the minipig, and a tendency to a hypotensive effect was discerned in the monkey.
The potential effects of pramipexole on reproductive function have been investigated in rats and rabbits. Pramipexole was not teratogenic in rats and rabbits but was embryotoxic in the rat at maternally toxic doses. Due to the selection of animal species and the limited parameters investigated, the adverse effects of pramipexole on pregnancy and male fertility have not been fully elucidated.
A delay in sexual development (i.e., preputial separation and vaginal opening) was observed in rats. The relevance for humans is unknown.
Pramipexole was not genotoxic. In a carcinogenicity study, male rats developed Leydig cell hyperplasia and adenomas, explained by the prolactin-inhibiting effect of pramipexole. This finding is not clinically relevant to man. The same study also showed that, at doses of 2 mg/kg (of salt) and higher, pramipexole was associated with retinal degeneration in albino rats. The latter finding was not observed in pigmented rats, nor in a 2-year albino mouse carcinogenicity study or in any other species investigated.
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