A major shortage of Sinemet® worries patient associations. This treatment prescribed for people with Parkinson’s disease is currently out of stock and will not be restocked until March 2019.
Prescribed to 60% of the 200,000 patients with Parkinson’s disease, Sinemet has been out of stock since the end of August in France. Worse: the American laboratory MSD which manufactures the drug the stock has announced that this drug will not be renewed before March 2019.
The Sinemet specialties affected by the shortage are as follows: Sinemet 100mg / 10mg tablet, Sinemet 250mg / 25mg tablet, and Sinemet LP 200mg / 50mg prolonged-release tablet.
Tremors, stiffness of the muscles …
The Parkinson disease is the 2e the most common neurodegenerative disease of the nervous system. It is caused by the progressive degeneration of a particular class of dopamine-secreting nerve cells in the brainstem.
At an advanced stage of the disease (5-7 years), problems with muscle control gradually appear. The tremors, slowness of movement and stiffness, which are the main symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, get worse. However, Sinemet is prescribed precisely to reduce these symptoms.
A stressor for patients
Beyond the dramatic consequences on the symptoms of this neurodegenerative disease, the out-of-stock Sinemet represents a major stressor for patients, denounce the associations of the Parkinson’s collective. They want the public authorities to find a solution allowing “to get out of this unbearable hostage-taking for the sick”.
On September 19, theNational Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) announced the implementation of an action plan to avoid any interruption of treatment in the patients concerned. The agency advises patients in particular to consult their doctor as soon as possible in order to find a solution. The ANSM reminds that patients should under no circumstances modify their treatment without prior medical advice.
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