Take opicapone every few hours

Opicapone is a third-generation COMT inhibitor approved in 2016 that was designed to overcome specific challenges of the previous generation of compounds, particularly hepatotoxicity and short duration of action. Opicapone has been shown to be effective in patients with early and late motor fluctuations. Although patients in the early stages benefited more than patients in the later stages, patients with recent onset of motor fluctuations (MF) had approximately half the incidence of dyskinesia as those with greater fluctuations.

COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) inhibitors are key therapeutic drugs for controlling motor fluctuations (MF) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Their primary benefit as add-on therapy to levodopa/DDCI is to increase on-time and reduce off-time in patients with mid-disease Parkinson's disease. Two of the three available COMT inhibitors, tolcapone and entacapone, have been approved for use for more than two decades. Opicapone has higher and longer-lasting efficacy compared with other COMT inhibitors. Because of this potent, sustained COMT inhibition for more than 24 hours, the active ingredient only needs to be taken once daily. This makes COMT inhibition more predictable and has a constant effect on the pharmacokinetics of levodopa.

Opicapone has not yet been launched in the country, so it is not covered by medical insurance. The European version of Opicapone’s original drug specifications listed overseasThe price per box of 50mg*90 capsules is around RMB 6,000 (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). There is currently no generic version of Opicapone on the market. For more drug information and specific prices, please consult Yaode’s medical consultant.