Brussels, 25/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 20 March, the Belgian pharmaceutical group, UCB, announced that its anti-Parkinson's disease drug, Neupro, would be withdrawn from the USA, as well as certain batches of the drug in Europe. A company press release explained that the batches in question did not satisfy specifications approved by the regulatory authorities. It also added that this decision did not mean that any contamination or product toxicity was involved but rather, a possible decline in clinical performance. This announcement means that at the end of April 2008 stocks of drug will be withdrawn. UCB therefore recommends that US doctors and patients proceed with a “gradual reduction” in doses administered and insists that “a sudden reduction in treatment of Parkinson's disease could lead to severe complications”. The UCB states that stocks in the EU and the majority of other regions are sufficient. (L.C.)