Cabergoline, Pramipexole and Ropinirole Used as Monotherapy in Early Parkinson’s Disease

Dopamine agonists have been widely used as add-on to levodopa in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease with motor fluctuations. However, the use of dopamine agonists in early Parkinson’s disease and levodopa-naive patients is controversial. Although dopamine agonists have been compared with levodopa, no studies exist which directly compare one dopamine agonist with another. This evidence-based review compares the results of large published studies of early treatment of Parkinson’s disease with dopamine agonists (cabergoline, ropinirole or pramipexole) with similar studies using levodopa.

Because of their design, the common variables analysed in all studies were the proportion of patients who developed dyskinesia, those withdrawn from the trial and the mean change from baseline in Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) parts II and III scores.

Cabergoline, pramipexole and ropinirole were similarly effective in reducing the risk for dyskinesia relative to levodopa (p < 0.01 for all three). The reduction in risk for dyskinesia was slightly more evident for pramipexole and ropinirole (p < 0.0001) than cabergoline (p = 0.0074). Odds ratios (95% confidence intervals [CI]) relative to levodopa were 0.38 (0.19–0.78) for cabergoline, 0.25 (0.13–0.47) for pramipexole and 0.31 (0.18-0.53) for ropinirole. The absolute risk reductions (95% CI) were, respectively, 8% (2.2–13.7), 20% (11.7–29.8) and 25% (13.6–36.7), ropinirole reducing the risk significantly more than cabergoline. The mean change from baseline UPDRS was similar for pramipexole and ropinirole (not evaluated for cabergoline). The proportion of withdrawn patients and the adverse effect profiles of the three agonists were similar to each other, with the exception of oedema, which was less prominent for ropinirole than for the other two agonists.

Cabergoline, pramipexole and ropinirole are comparable choices for the delay of dyskinesia. Their adverse effect profiles are also similar, but they are less well tolerated than levodopa. The motor antiparkinsonian benefit of dopamine agonists is somewhat smaller than that of levodopa.