ASKIN patch which helps people suffering from Parkinson's disease has been licensed for use after trials in Scotland.
The treatment, which works in the same way as a nicotine patch, offers relief to patients in the early stages of the degenerative disease by delivering a drug that mimics the effects of dopamine, a naturally-occurring chemical which is responsible for movement.
The replacement patch could help sufferers who may have difficulty swallowing medication or those with digestion problems that stop oral drugs being fully absorbed.
It has been licensed for use after a worldwide trial which include tests on around 20 people in Glasgow's Southern General Hospital in 2003.
Dr K Ray Chaudhuri, consultant neurologist at University Hospital Lewisham in London, said of the patch: "For clinicians and people with Parkinson's, this is a new and simple way of delivering a dopamine agonist.
"It has the potential to overcome many of the problems associated with oral administration and may well prove to be one of the most effective methods of delivering a steady and continuous dose."
Dopamine is a chemical messenger between nerves cells in the brain which occurs at low levels in people suffering from Parkinson's, leading to symptoms such as tremors.
Until now, patients have mostly taken a dopamine agonist - an agent that acts directly on the dopamine receptors - in tablet form, with other possible forms including injection and through a pump.
The patch contains a new dopamine agonist, called rotigotine, and was developed by the company Schwarz Pharma. Patients only have to change the patch once a day.
The licence was welcomed by the Parkinson's Disease Society. Robert Meadowcroft, director of policy, campaigns and information, said: "Clinical trials to date have shown the patch to be safe and effective in early stage Parkinson's patients, and a potential option for long-term benefit."
Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder afterAlzheimer's, with between 8000 and 10,000 cases diagnosed in the UK every year. At any one time, 120,000 people in the UK suffer from it.
Around seven million people are "touched" by Parkinson's, either as a patient or by having a close friend or relative diagnosed with the disease.
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