European journal of neurology : the official journal of the European Federation of Neurological Societies
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effect of opicapone on levodopa pharmacokinetics, catechol-O-methyltransferase activity and motor fluctuations in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Opicapone (OPC) is a novel third generation catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitor that enhances levodopa availability. This study investigated the effects of OPC in comparison with placebo on levodopa pharmacokinetics, tolerability and safety, COMT activity and motor response to levodopa in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with motor fluctuations. ⋯ OPC is a promising new COMT inhibitor that significantly decreased COMT activity, increased systemic exposure to levodopa and improved motor response.