Rotigotine Transdermal Patch for the Treatment of Restless Legs Syndrome

Rotigotine, a nonergot dopamine agonist, has been developed as a novel transdermal formulation. The rotigotine transdermal patch has received EMA and FDA marketing authorization for the treatment of adult patients with early or advanced Parkinson's disease or with moderate-to-severe restless legs syndrome (RLS). This review comprises an overview of the pharmacokinetics, the pharmacodynamics and the clinical efficacy and safety of the rotigotine transdermal patch for RLS. Its source material was identified by a PubMed search for the terms ‘rotigotine' and ‘RLS'. The rotigotine transdermal patch demonstrates clinical efficacy alongside a good tolerability profile. Application site reactions were the most frequent adverse events, and they were considered mild to moderate in the majority of cases. In summary, the rotigotine transdermal patch offers a safe and efficacious alternative for the treatment of RLS. Further studies should focus on the possibility that continuous dopamine stimulation by means of transdermal patches might have an influence on RLS augmentation rates.