Permax Facts:

Two studies published in the January 3, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine confirmed that the use of the Parkinson's drugs Permax (pergolide) and Dostinex (cabergoline) increases the risk of heart valve damage. Both studies indicated high rates of heart valve leakage - up to 20% - in patients taking the drug. Heart valve damage causes a reverse flow of blood in the heart. This can cause symptoms like breathing problems, fatigue, and heart palpitations. If this condition is not surgically fixed, it can lead to heart failure and sudden death.

Usage:

Permax (chemical name: pergolide mesylate) manufactured by Eli Lilly and marketed by Valeant, was prescribed for patients with Parkinson's disease. It was sold generically by Par and Teva, as Pergolide.

Drugs like Permax, Pergolide and Dostinex are known as dopamine agonists. Because Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder resulting from the degeneration of neurons in a region of the brain that controls movement, it causes a shortage of the brain-signaling chemical known as dopamine. The dopamine shortage creates the involuntary movement impairments that characterize the disease. Dopamine agonists initially act by stimulating some of the dopamine receptors, which assists in the management of the signs and symptoms of the disease. However, they cause the dopamine receptors to become progressively less sensitive, thereby eventually increasing the symptoms.

Permax was also widely prescribed "off-label" for Restless Legs syndrome. According to the Food & Drug Administration's MedWatch website, an estimated 500,000 people have used Permax since 1989.

Litigation:

Initially Eli Lilly, the maker of the drug, claimed that Permax has had a safe record since coming on the market, but that the company would consider adding information about this heart risk to the label. In 2003, the FDA asked the drug company to add 'abnormality of cardiac valves' to the warnings section of Permax labeling. In 2006, that warning was upgraded to a black box warning because of more reports of patients suffering heart valve damage. In March 2007, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory (PHA) detailing the removal of pergolide products from the market

Dr. Abraham Lieberman, the medical director of the National Parkinson Foundation in Miami, was one of the doctors who studied Pergolide in the 1980s when it was developed. "There is evidence of pulmonary fibrosis that is associated with Pergolide," he has said, "but there's [also] a 14-year history of people taking Permax, ...why hasn't this showed up sooner?"

Failure to warn about the potential dangers associated with taking Permax is a serious violation of your rights. If you or a loved one have developed heart valve damage after taking Permax, you may be entitled to compensation. For more information, fill out the form at right and an experienced DrugSettlement.com attorney or representative will contact you to discuss your claim.

If you or a member of your family may have been injured as a result of a pharmaceutical drug, please contact the defective drug lawyers at the Law Office of Nix and McIntyre.

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