Requip eases restless legs, study confirms

By David Douglas

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A large study confirms that restless legs syndrome (RLS) markedly reduces quality of life and interferes with sleep and that the drug Requip provides significant improvement in symptoms of RLS.

"Sleep is important for its restorative properties and treatment of RLS with Requip improves symptoms, sleep disturbance and quality of life in most RLS patients," Dr. Richard Bogan told Reuters Health.

Requip, also known as ropinirole, was approved in May 2005 by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of RLS.

Bogan, of SleepMed of South Carolina in Columbia and colleagues conducted a blinded placebo-controlled study of Requip in 381 patients with RLS. Subjects took Requip or placebo 1 to 3 hours before bedtime.

At 12 weeks, the average score on the International Restless Legs Scale -- a validated instrument with a maximum severity of 40 -- had fallen from 22.0 to 8.4 in the Requip group, and from 21.6 to 11.9 in the placebo group. These differences were significant, the investigators note in a report in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Moreover, a significantly greater number of patients taking Requip than placebo were "much" or "very much" improved on the Clinical Global Improvement impression score.

Subjective measures of sleep disturbance, quality of life, and anxiety were also significantly improved with Requip.

This and other trials, the investigators conclude, show that Requip "is an effective and generally well-tolerated treatment for moderate to severe primary RLS."

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic Proceedings January 2006.