Pharmacia & Upjohn has launched Dostinex (cabergoline) for the treatmentof hyperoprolactinemic disorders in the USA. The drug, a long-acting dopamine agonist, can be used in either idiopathic disease or hyperprolactinemia due to pituitary tumors.
P&U says the drug is a major advance for patients with this disorder, as it is effective, generally well-tolerated and, with twice-a-week dosing, more convenient to take than bromocriptine, the only other drug product indicated to treat hyperprolactinemia, which is taken up to twice-daily. Patient compliance is high, due to the side-effect profile and dosing.
Cabergoline comes in 0.5mg tablets and costs $42/mg, according to a spokesman for P&U. The recommended starting dose is 0.25mg twice-weekly, and this may be increased to a maximum of 1mg twice-weekly. It is thought that there are between 70,000 and 100,000 patients a year in the USA who require treatment for hyperprolactinemia. The disease most commonly affects women aged between 20 and 50, and can cause cessation of menstruation, excessive breast milk discharge and infertility due to anovulation. In men, the condition can cause decreased libido and impotence.
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