Opicapone adjuvant for the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative condition resulting from the loss of dopamine nerve cells in the brain. This leads to a reduction in a chemical called dopamine in the brain, which plays a vital role in regulating movement of the body. The diagnosis and treatment of PD typically occur when the disease has already progressed to a relatively advanced stage in which motor symptoms are evident and substantial neurophysiological damage has already taken place. At this point, any possibility of delaying disease progression or, achieving neuroprotection may already be out of reach. There are currently no adjunct therapies recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for people with early-stage PD who have signs of treatable motor disability but have not developed dyskinesia or motor fluctuations. Catechol-O-Methyl transferase (COM-T) inhibitors such as opicapone as adjunct therapies have the potential to improve the clinical benefit of first-line treatment with levodopa (L-DOPA) - a precursor to dopamine that can be swallowed and can pass through the blood-brain barrier, allowing more L-DOPA to reach the brain.