It appears to be more powerful and to be better tolerated by patients than other such drugs. About one million adults in North America are afflicted by Parkinson's disease, in which several hundred thousand cells in a tiny region of the brain die for unknown reasons. Parkinson's, which afflicts adults ranging from ages 40 to 80, results in uncontrollable tremors and shaky, stiff, and slow movements.
Current drugs reduce the symptoms, but their effects wane with time.
Members of one group received a placebo, while those in the other four groups received daily doses of pramipexole dihydrochloride. Physicians measured a patient's condition by monitoring the patient's mood, motor skills, and ability to perform everyday tasks. Over the 10-week study, patients receiving pramipexole dihydrochloride improved an average of 20 percent compared to patients taking a placebo.