Rotigotine
Also sold as: Neupro
Related Medications
These drugs share a pharmacologic classification but are NOT interchangeable. Listing here does not imply clinical equivalence. A physician must evaluate each drug individually for the patient's specific condition.
Classification: Dopamine Agonists (source: RxClass/NLM)
Insurance Coverage User-Reported
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Drug Information
Mechanism of Action
12.1 Mechanism of Action Rotigotine is a non-ergoline dopamine agonist. The precise mechanism of action of rotigotine as a treatment for Parkinson's disease is unknown, although it is thought to be related to its ability to stimulate dopamine receptors within the caudate-putamen in the brain. The precise mechanism of action of rotigotine as a treatment for Restless Legs Syndrome is unknown but is thought to be related to its ability to stimulate dopamine receptors.
Indications & Uses
1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE NEUPRO is a dopamine agonist indicated for the treatment of: Parkinson's disease ( 1.1 ) Moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome ( 1.2 ) 1.1 Parkinson's Disease (PD) NEUPRO is indicated for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. 1.2 Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) NEUPRO is indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome.
Dosage & Administration
2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Parkinson's disease: Initially, 2 mg/24 hours for early-stage disease or 4 mg/24 hours for advanced-stage disease. The dose may be increased as needed by 2 mg/24 hours at weekly intervals, up to 6 mg/24 hours for early-stage disease and up to 8 mg/24 hours for advanced-stage disease. ( 2.1 ) Restless Legs Syndrome: Initially, 1 mg/24 hours, increased as needed by 1 mg/24 hours at weekly intervals, up to 3 mg/24 hours. ( 2.2 ) Apply once a day to the skin; press firmly in place for 30 seconds. Do not place NEUPRO on oily, irritated, or damaged skin, or where it will be rubbed by tight clothing. Do not use the same site more than once every 14 days. The prescribed dose may be achieved using single or multiple patches. ( 2.3 ) To discontinue treatment, reduce the dose gradually until complete withdrawal of NEUPRO. ( 2.4 ) 2.1 Dosage in Parkinson's Disease Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease In patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease, the recommended starting dose for NEUPRO is 2 mg/24 hours. Based upon individual patient clinical response and tolerability, NEUPRO dosage may be increased weekly by 2 mg/24 hours if additional therapeutic effect is needed. The lowest effective dose is 4 mg/24 hours. The maximum recommended dose for early-stage Parkinson's disease is 6 mg/24 hours. Advanced-Stage Parkinson's Disease In patients with advanced-stage Parkinson's disease, the recommended starting dose for NEUPRO is 4 mg/24 hours. Based upon individual patient clinical response and tolerability, NEUPRO dosage may be increased weekly by 2 mg/24 hours if additional therapeutic effect is needed. The maximum recommended dose for advanced-stage Parkinson's disease is 8 mg/24 hours. 2.2 Dosage in Restless Legs Syndrome In patients with Restless Legs Syndrome, the recommended starting dose for NEUPRO is 1 mg/24 hours. Based upon individual patient clinical response and tolerability, NEUPRO dosage may be increased weekly by 1 mg/24 hours if additional therapeutic effect is needed. The lowest effective dose is 1 mg/24 hours. The maximum recommended dose is 3 mg/24 hours. 2.3 Administration Information NEUPRO is applied once a day. The adhesive side of the transdermal system should be applied to clean, dry, intact healthy skin on the front of the abdomen, thigh, hip, flank, shoulder, or upper arm. The transdermal system should be applied at approximately the same time every day, at a convenient time for the patient. Because NEUPRO is administered transdermally, food is not expected to affect absorption and it can be applied irrespective of the timing of meals. The application site for NEUPRO should be moved on a daily basis (for example, from the right side to the left side and from the upper body to the lower body). NEUPRO should not be applied to the same application site more than once every 14 days and should not be placed on skin that is oily, irritated, or damaged, or where it will be rubbed by tight clothing. If it is necessary to apply NEUPRO to a hairy area, the area should be shaved at least 3 days prior to NEUPRO application. The system should be applied immediately after opening the pouch and removing the protective liner. The system should be pressed firmly in place for 30 seconds, making sure there is good contact, especially around the edges. If the patient forgets to replace NEUPRO, or if the transdermal system becomes dislodged, another transdermal system should be applied for the remainder of the day. The prescribed dose may be achieved using single or multiple patches [see Patient Counseling Information (17) ]. 2.4 Discontinuation of NEUPRO For discontinuation of NEUPRO in patients with Parkinson's disease, reduce the daily dose by a maximum of 2 mg every 24 hours preferably every other day, until complete withdrawal of NEUPRO is achieved. For discontinuation of NEUPRO in patients with Restless Legs Syndrome, reduce the daily dose by 1 mg every 24 hours preferably every other day, until complete withdrawal of NEUPRO is achieved.
Side Effects (Adverse Reactions)
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following serious adverse reactions are discussed below and elsewhere in the labeling: Sulfite Sensitivity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Falling Asleep During Activities of Daily Living and Somnolence [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Hallucinations/Psychosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Symptomatic Hypotension [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Syncope [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Impulse Control/Compulsive Behaviors [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Elevation of Blood Pressure and Heart Rate [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] Weight Gain and Fluid Retention [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] Dyskinesia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ] Application Site Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.10) ] Augmentation and Rebound in RLS [see Warnings and Precautions (5.11) ] Hyperpyrexia and Confusion [see Warnings and Precautions (5.14) ] Withdrawal Symptoms [see Warnings and Precautions (5.15) ] Fibrotic Complications [see Warnings and Precautions (5.16) ] Parkinson's disease: Most common adverse reactions (at least 5% greater than placebo) were nausea, vomiting, somnolence, application site reactions, dizziness, anorexia, disturbances in initiating and maintaining sleep, hyperhidrosis, visual disturbance, peripheral edema, and dyskinesia. ( 6.1 ) Restless Legs Syndrome: Most common adverse reactions (at least 5% greater than placebo) were application site reactions, nausea, disturbances in initiating and maintaining sleep, somnolence, and headache. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact UCB, Inc. at 1-844-599-2273 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, the incidence of adverse reactions (number of unique patients experiencing an adverse reaction associated with treatment/total number of patients treated) observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to incidence of adverse reactions in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the incidence of adverse reactions observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease The safety of NEUPRO was evaluated in a total of 649 early-stage Parkinson's disease patients who participated in three double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with durations of 3 to 9 months. Additional safety information was collected in short-term studies and two open-label extension studies in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. In the double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-response study in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease, the most common adverse reactions (at least 5% greater than placebo) for the maximum recommended dose of NEUPRO (6 mg/24 hours) were nausea, vomiting, somnolence, application site reactions, dizziness, anorexia, disturbances in initiating and maintaining sleep, hyperhidrosis, and visual disturbance. In this trial, 12% of patients treated with the maximum recommended NEUPRO dose (6 mg/24 hours) discontinued treatment because of adverse reactions, compared with 6% of patients who received placebo. Table 1 summarizes the adverse reactions that occurred in greater than 2% of NEUPRO-treated patients and more frequent than in placebo-treated patients in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, fixed-dose trial in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease. Incidences for the non-recommended 8 mg/24 hours dose are also shown. Table 1 Adverse Reactions in a Placebo-Controlled, Fixed-Dose Trial in Patients with Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease Adverse Reaction Placebo N=64 % NEUPRO Dose 2 mg/24h N=67 % 4 mg/24h N=63 % 6 mg/24h N=65 % 8 mg/24h N=70 % Nausea 13 34 38 48 41 Vomiting 3 10 16 20 11 Somnolence 3 12 14 19 20 Application and instillation site reactions 19 21 19 32 43 Dizziness 11 21 14 22 20 Anorexia 0 2 2 9 4 Disturbances in initiating and maintaining sleep 6 6 11 14 11 Hyperhidrosis 3 3 3 11 3 Visual disturbance 0 0 0 5 3 Abnormal dreams 0 2 5 3 7 Abnormal Electrocardiogram T wave 0 0 2 3 0 Balance disorder 0 0 2 3 0 Dyspepsia 0 2 2 3 0 Fatigue 3 8 18 6 13 Tinnitus 0 0 2 3 0 Constipation 3 2 3 5 6 Erythema 3 3 6 5 6 Hallucinations 2 0 2 3 3 Muscle spasms 2 3 2 3 4 Paresthesia 2 3 3 3 0 Peripheral edema 2 2 3 3 4 White blood cells urine positive 2 3 3 3 1 The incidence of certain adverse reactions with NEUPRO was notably increased compared to placebo treatment (i.e., at least 5% greater than placebo) in either the titration or maintenance phases of the dose-response trial. During the titration phase, this increased incidence of a treatment difference was observed for nausea, somnolence, vomiting, application site reactions (ASRs), dizziness, sweating increased, anorexia, and visual disturbance. During the maintenance phase, an increased incidence was observed for nausea and ASRs. Some adverse reactions developing in the titration phase persisted (at least 7 days) into the maintenance phase. These
Drug Interactions
7 DRUG INTERACTIONS 7.1 Dopamine Antagonists Dopamine antagonists, such as antipsychotics or metoclopramide, may diminish the effectiveness of NEUPRO [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] .
Contraindications
4 CONTRAINDICATIONS NEUPRO is contraindicated in patients who have demonstrated hypersensitivity to rotigotine or the components of the transdermal system. History of hypersensitivity to rotigotine or components of the transdermal patch. ( 4 )
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Medical Disclaimer: Information on this page is sourced from FDA-approved labeling data and is for educational reference only. It does not constitute medical advice. This information does not establish a provider-patient relationship. Always verify with current prescribing information and consult a licensed healthcare professional before any clinical decision. Read full disclaimer.
Data sourced from RxNorm (NLM/NIH), FDA Orange Book, OpenFDA, DailyMed. Last updated: 2026-03-02.