Thorough QT/QTc Study in Patients With Advanced Parkinson's Disease: Cardiac Safety of Rotigotine

The potential effects of the dopamine agonist rotigotine on cardiac repolarization were studied in patients with Parkinson's disease, which affects electrocardiogram (ECG) quality. The parallel-group trial was double-blind and placebo-and positive (moxifloxacin 400 mg)-controlled. After two 24-h baseline ECGs, patients were randomized to rotigotine (n = 66) or placebo (n = 64). Twenty four-hour ECGs were recorded on days 14/15, 21/22, 28/29, 35/36, and 42/43 of a regimen involving weekly dose escalations of 4 mg/24 h (4 mg/24 h-24 mg/24 h). In 10-s ECGs (n = 357,948) selected from 24-h records, QT measurements were manually verified and individually rate-corrected (QTc). assay sensitivity showed maximum mean 13.5 ms QTc prolongation after moxifloxacin with 95% confidence interval (CI) 11.8-15.2 ms. Rotigotine vs. placebo differences in time-matched changes from baseline (54 data points/24 h) showed mean effects close to zero with upper one-sided 95% CI < 5 ms. Accurate, thorough QTc studies are possible even in patients with diseases that profoundly affect ECG quality. Rotigotine in supra-and therapeutic doses was shown not to affect cardiac repolarization.