Source: European Medicines Agency (EU) Revision Year: 2019 Publisher: UCB Pharma S.A., Allée de la Recherche 60, B-1070, Bruxelles, Belgium
Neupro is indicated for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of early-stage idiopathic Parkinson’s disease as monotherapy (i.e. without levodopa) or in combination with levodopa, i.e. over the course of the disease, through to late stages when the effect of levodopa wears off or becomes inconsistent and fluctuations of the therapeutic effect occur (end of dose or ‘on-off’ fluctuations).
The dose recommendations made are in nominal dose.
A single daily dose should be initiated at 2 mg/24 h and then increased in weekly increments of 2 mg/24 h to an effective dose up to a maximum dose of 8 mg/24 h. 4 mg/24 h may be an effective dose in some patients. For most patients an effective dose is reached within 3 or 4 weeks at doses of 6 mg/24 h or 8 mg/24 h, respectively.
The maximum dose is 8 mg/24 h.
A single daily dose should be initiated at 4 mg/24 h and then increased in weekly increments of 2 mg/24 h to an effective dose up to a maximum dose of 16 mg/24 h. 4 mg/24 h or 6 mg/24 h may be effective doses in some patients. For most patients an effective dose is reached within 3 to 7 weeks at doses of 8 mg/24 h up to a maximum dose of 16 mg/24 h.
For doses higher than 8 mg/24 h multiple patches may be used to achieve the final dose e.g. 10 mg/24 h may be reached by combination of a 6 mg/24 h and a 4 mg/24 h patch.
Neupro is applied once a day. The patch should be applied at approximately the same time every day. The patch remains on the skin for 24 hours and will then be replaced by a new one at a different site of application.
If the patient forgets to apply the patch at the usual time of the day or if the patch becomes detached, another patch should be applied for the remainder of the day.
Neupro should be discontinued gradually. The daily dose should be reduced in steps of 2 mg/24 h with a dose reduction preferably every other day, until complete withdrawal of Neupro (see section 4.4).
Adjustment of the dose is not necessary in patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment. Caution is advised when treating patients with severe hepatic impairment, which may result in lower rotigotine clearance. Rotigotine has not been investigated in this patient group. A dose reduction might be needed in case of worsening of the hepatic impairment.
Adjustment of the dose is not necessary in patients with mild to severe renal impairment, including those requiring dialysis. Unexpected accumulation of rotigotine levels may also occur at acute worsening of renal function (see section 5.2).
There is no relevant use of Neupro in the paediatric population in Parkinson’s disease.
Neupro is for transdermal use.
The patch should be applied to clean, dry, intact healthy skin on the abdomen, thigh, hip, flank, shoulder, or upper arm. Reapplication to the same site within 14 days should be avoided. Neupro should not be placed on skin that is red, irritated or damaged (see section 4.4).
Each patch is packed in a sachet and should be applied directly after the sachet has been opened. One half of the release liner should be removed and the sticky side should be applied and pressed firmly to the skin. Then, the patch is fold back and the second part of the release liner is removed. The sticky side of the patch should not be touched. The patch should be pressed down firmly with the palm of the hand for about 30 seconds, so that it sticks well.
The patch should not be cut into pieces.
The most likely adverse reactions would be those related to the pharmacodynamic profile of a dopamine agonist, including nausea, vomiting, hypotension, involuntary movements, hallucinations, confusion, convulsions and other signs of central dopaminergic stimulation.
There is no known antidote for overdose of dopamine agonists. In case of suspected overdose, removal of the patch(es) should be considered because after removal of the patch(es) the active substance input is stopped and the plasma concentration of rotigotine decreases rapidly. The patient should be monitored closely, including heart rate, heart rhythm and blood pressure. Treatment of overdose may require general supportive measures to maintain the vital signs. Dialysis would not be expected to be beneficial as rotigotine is not eliminated by dialysis.
If it is necessary to discontinue rotigotine, this should be done gradually to prevent neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
Shelf life: 30 months.
Do not store above 30°C.
Peel off sachet in a plastic box: One side is composed of an ethylene copolymer (innermost layer), an aluminium foil, low density polyethylene film and paper; the other side is composed of polyethylene (innermost layer), aluminium, ethylene copolymer and paper.
The box contains 7, 14, 28, 30 or 84 (multipack containing 3 packs of 28) transdermal patches, individually sealed in sachets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.
After use the patch still contains active substance. After removal, the used patch should be folded in half, adhesive side inwards so that the matrix layer is not exposed, placed in the original sachet and then discarded. Any used or unused patches should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements or returned to the pharmacy.
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