What should I do if I become resistant to opicapone?

Opicapone, one of three COMT inhibitors, is designed to control end-dose motor fluctuations associated with the use of carbidopa/levodopa. Opicapone may be superior to entacapone because its pharmacokinetics permit once-daily dosing and it has shown noninferior efficacy to entacapone. Furthermore, compared with the COMT inhibitor tolcapone, opicapone appears to be well tolerated and is associated with a reduced risk of hepatotoxicity.

Once-daily administration of 50 mg of this product inhibits COMT activity in red blood cells; in patients with Parkinson's disease, the maximum inhibition observed was 84% and was maintained at >65% over a 24-hour dosing interval. After treatment is terminated, COMT inhibition slowly returns to baseline levels, and >35% inhibition is still observed 5 days after the last dose. However, if the patient develops resistance after using opicapone, he should communicate with his doctor in time, and it may be recommended to adjust the dose of opicapone to determine whether the efficacy of the drug can be restored. If Opicapone no longer works, your doctor may recommend trying other medications to manage your symptoms. For example, they may consider other COMT inhibitors or other types of antiparkinsonian drugs.

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.