Rasagiline

Rasagiline, sold under the brand name Azilect among others, is a medication which is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. It is used as a monotherapy to treat symptoms in early Parkinson's disease or as an adjunct therapy in more advanced cases. The drug is taken by mouth. Side effects of rasagiline include insomnia and orthostatic hypotension, among others. Rasagiline acts as an inhibitor of the enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO) and hence is a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). More specifically, it is a selective inhibitor of monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B). The drug is thought to work by increasing levels of the monoamine neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. Rasagiline shows pharmacological differences from the related drug selegiline, including having no amphetamine-like metabolites, monoamine-releasing activity, or monoaminergic activity enhancer actions, which may result in clinical differences between the medications. Rasagiline was approved for medical use in the European Union in 2005 and in the United States in 2006. Generic versions of rasagiline are available.