On March 29, 2007 the FDA officially withdrew the dopamine Permax (uncommonly known as pergolide) due to recent studies that indicate the increase of risk for valvular heart disease in Permax patients.
In January, 2007 two new studies were released from the New England Journal of Medicine that linked Permax and a similar drug, Dostinex, directly to the increased risk of valvular heart disease. Damage to the heart valves can lead to heart failure and sudden death. The only option currently available for patients with heart valve disease is open heart surgery and valve replacement, a costly and incredibly risky procedure. According to the Texas Heart Institute, for valve replacement surgery the breastbone must be divided, the heart must be stopped, and blood must be filtered through a heart-lung machine.
The dangerous drug Permax was created in order to treat those suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Its related drug, Dostinex, was created for the same purpose, but is also used in hormone replacement therapy. The FDA has determined the risk of heart valve disease in HRT patients for Dostinex to be significantly less than in treatment for Parkinson’s disease, because a smaller dose is needed for HRT.
