November 10, 2006: FDA Approves Mirapex for Restless Legs Syndrome

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc declared that US Food and Drug Administration approved the Mirapex medicines for treatment of moderate to severe primary Restless Legs Syndrome or RLS. RLS is a medical condition that can result to unpleasant sensations, restlessness in the legs, and discomfort.

August 23, 2006: Texas Woman Alleges that Mirapex Made Her a Compulsive Gambler

A lawsuit was filed in a Court in the State of Texas by a bank director from Texas, who claimed that Mirapex made her a compulsive gambler which resulted to a loss of $200,000 in less than one year. The plaintiff filed a case against Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Mirapex, and the distributor, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals for not giving sufficient warnings to physicians and healthcare providers about the risks of compulsive behavior by patients who took Mirapex.

June 2006: Use of Mirapex Possibly Connected to Compulsive Behavior

There were reports of Parkinson’s disease and Restless Leg Syndrome or RLS from patients who are suffering from bizarre, uncontrollable, and compulsive desires while being treated with Mirapex medicines or other “dopamine agonist” drugs. Some odd behavior that were reported are cases of pathological gambling; hypersexuality or increased sexual thoughts, behavior, or feelings; and compulsive eating. The prescribing information of Mirapex said that the occurrence of compulsive behavior was low, and the behavior was basically reversible upon the decrease of dosage or discontinuation of the treatment. It was also established that taking Mirapex and compulsive behavior are still under study.