Evidence mapPaperPMID 42444984Full record

ArticleFrontiers in aging neuroscience2026

Generic vs. brand-name pramipexole: effectiveness, safety, and cost comparison in a multicenter retrospective cohort study.

Ke Wang, Xiaoxuan Xing, Zhizhou Wang, Xiaotong Zhang, Jingxuan Li, Ying Zhu, Hao Guo, Changzhi Yu, Lan Zhang, Xianzhe Dong

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Ke WangDepartment of Pharmacy, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Xiaoxuan XingDepartment of Pharmacy, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Zhizhou WangDepartment of Pharmacy, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Xiaotong ZhangDepartment of Pharmacy, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Jingxuan LiDepartment of Pharmacy, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Hebei, Shijiazhuang, China.
Ying ZhuDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, Suzhou, China.
Hao GuoDepartment of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region People's Hospital, Inner Mongolia, Hohhot, China.
Changzhi YuDepartment of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Xinjiang, Urumqi, China.
Lan ZhangDepartment of Pharmacy, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.
Xianzhe DongDepartment of Pharmacy, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Generic pramipexole is widely prescribed for Parkinson's disease (PD), yet clinical equivalence to the brand-name formulation remains debated. We aimed to compare generic and brand-name pramipexole dihydrochloride tablets in real world. Methods: We conducted a multicenter retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study. Prescription data of outpatients using either generic or brand-name pramipexole dihydrochloride tablets for PD or Parkinson's syndrome were extracted at five research hospitals from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023. Effectiveness was assessed by changes in levodopa equivalent dose (LED) over time, while safety was evaluated by adverse events (AEs) from enrollment to follow-up completion. Medication costs were also compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 1,063 patients in the brand-name drug group and 1,287 in the generic drug group were included. A total of 161 AEs occurred in the generic drug group and 182 in the brand-name drug group. There was no significant difference in AE occurrence between the two groups ( Conclusion: With comparable efficacy and safety, our results indicate the generic pramipexole should be considered a valuable alternative to the brand-name drug. Future prospective research is needed to confirm these findings in clinical practice.

Indexed as

costeffectivenessgeneric drugimmediate-releaseParkinson’s diseasepramipexolesafety

Identifiers

PMID42444984
PMCPMC13357990

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.