Transdermal drug delivery in Parkinson’s disease

The long-term management of Parkinson’s disease is compromised by the development of treatment-related complications that can severely limit the effectiveness of levodopa. Growing evidence implicates intermittent, or pulsatile, stimulation of dopamine receptors as one potential mechanism in their genesis. Continuous administration of medication via the transdermal route offers a potential avenue to circumvent pulsatile drug delivery and, thus, possibly deflect development of dyskinesia and motor fluctuations. The development of an effective transdermal drug preparation for Parkinson’s disease has had a long gestation, but the recent emergence of rotigotine as an effective transdermal therapy provides hope and encouragement that additional advances may also be forthcoming and that our ability to effectively treat this devastating disease will continue to grow.