Efficacy of opicapone

In two major studies investigating the benefits of opicapone in Parkinson's disease, patients had an average of about 6 to 7 hours of rest at the start of the studies. In the first study, 600 patients with fluctuations received either opicapone, entacapone (another drug used to treat Parkinson's disease), or placebo (dummy treatment) in addition to their current levodopa/DDCI combination. The study looked at how effective this treatment was at reducing the amount of time patients were immobilized, known as "rest time."

After 14-15 weeks, patients taking Opicapone 50mg had a shorter drug withdrawal period of 117 minutes (nearly 2 hours), while those taking the comparator entacapone had a shorter drug withdrawal period of 96 minutes (about 1.5 hours). A reduction in drug withdrawal periods was also observed in a second study, in which opicapone was compared with placebo in 427 patients taking the levodopa/DDCI combination. After 14-15 weeks, patients taking Opicapone 50mg had a shorter off-treatment period of 119 minutes (almost 2 hours) compared to 64 minutes for those taking placebo. Both studies extended to one year and confirmed the benefits of taking opicapone long-term.

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.