More than one in every hundred individuals over the age of 55 will develop Parkinson's disease. The disease can be truly devastating - symptoms include tremor, stiffness, slowed movement and impaired balance. If severe, the disease can result in complete disability. There is still no cure for Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease occurs when nerve calls in the brain, which produce a chemical messenger known as dopamine, die or are damaged.

L-dopa is the current gold standard treatment for Parkinson's disease, but is known to cause disabling side effects known as dyskinesias (twitching, nodding and jerking) when used over a long period of time.

The high incidence of dyskinesias associated with L-dopa therapy imposes a heavy burden on the individuals affected by this devastating condition. New approaches to treatment, designed to reduce the need for L-dopa, are desperately needed.

You are invited to attend the press briefing at the International Congress of Parkinson's Disease (ICPD), Vancouver, 24-28 July, 1999 on the landmark conclusions of the first major multinational five-year study to compare ReQuip® (ropinirole hydrochloride, SmithKline Beecham) and L-dopa in the treatment of early Parkinson's Disease.

Speakers at the event will include:

Dr Donald Calne, Director, Neurodegenerative Disorders Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Dr Warren Olanow, Professor and Chairman, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA
Professor Olivier Rascol, Professor of Pharmacology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Toulouse, France

Venue: Gazebo I, The Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver, Canada.

For further details, please contact
Roseann Ward, Kate Davies or Alexa Osman at Meditech Media Ltd. (London, UK)
Tel: 44-171-4045151 Fax: 44-171-404-6946.
Email: [email protected]
This event is supported by SmithKline Beecham.

RSVP MEDIA PRIORITY ATTENDANCE & INTERVIEW BOOKING FORM

New study will revolutionalise treatment for Parkinson's Disease

Media Briefing and Telephone Interviews
Tuesday, 27 July 1999
09.00 hrs to 10.00 hrs press conference (local Vancouver time)
08.00 hrs to 09.00 hrs media interviews (local Vancouver time)
Gazebo I, The Pan-Pacific Hotel, Vancouver, Canada
interviews also available

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email: [email protected]