Dopamine agonists in treatment of Parkinson's disease: an overview

Abstract Dopamine agonists comprise a major class of therapeutics used for treating Parkinson's disease. They are commonly employed as monotherapy mainly in the early stage of Parkinson's disease to delay levodopa-induced motor complications or combined with levodopa in advanced Parkinson's disease. In general, dopamine agonists can be divided into ergot derivatives and non-ergot derivatives based on their molecular structures. Despite the comparable antiparkinsonian effects, they exhibit different safety profiles: fibrotic disorders have frequently been associated with ergot-derived compounds. During the past decade or so, a great advancement has been made in the development of novel formulations of known antiparkinsonian dopamine agonists with a concentration on non-oral therapies aiming for continuous drug delivery. Several novel molecules have also been developed and studied in preclinical and clinical trials, and many more are currently under development.