Ongentys tablets 25 mg for Parkinson’s disease (opicapone)

General information on Japanese Ongentys tablets 25 mg for Parkinson’s disease (opicapone)

Package details: 30 tablets

Manufacturer: Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Japan

Active ingredient: opicapone (chemical formula C15H10Cl2N4O6)

Medical effect: Ongentys tablets are effective for the improvement of circadian change (wearing-off phenomenon), stiffness and slowness of movement in patients with Parkinson’s disease when used in combination with other antiparkinsonian drugs

Contraindications and precautions: do not use for the following categoris of patients:

• pregnant and breastfeeding women,
• patients with pheochromocytoma, paraganglioma or another catecholamine-secreting tumor,
• patients with a history of malignant syndrome or non-traumatic rhabdomyolysis,
• patients with liver dysfunction.

If an allergic reaction occurs, stop taking the medicine and consult with your doctor. If you’re taking any other medication, please consult with your doctor before use.

As this medicine may cause sudden sleepiness or dizziness, avoid driving a car, working at heights or operating dangerous machinery. Pay close attention to the risks of bone fracture or injury due to falling.

Dosage and administration of Ongentys tablets 25 mg from Japan for Parkinson’s disease

For adults, take 1 tablet 1 time a day, before or after taking levodopa/carbidopa or levodopa/benserazide hydrochloride and at an interval of over 1 hour before or after meal.

Do not stop taking this medicine abruptly until your doctor instructs you to do so.

How effective are Ongentys tablets 25 mg from Japan for Parkinson’s disease?

Ongentys tablets contain opicapone, a reversible, and strictly peripheral third-generation catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor. It works by suppressing the action of levodopa degrading enzymes. As the result, when used together with levodopa/carbidopa or levodopa/benserazide hydrochloride medicines, Ongentys tablets provide more levodopa to brain and increase the dopamine level. By enhancing the levodopa effect, opicapone improves circadian change (wearing-off phenomenon), stiffness and slowness of movement in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Who should take Ongentys tablets 25 mg from Japan?

Ongentys tablets have several benefits to other levodopa-enhancing medicines. First, the duration of action of opicapone exceeds 24 hours, that allows to take only 1 tablet a day (J. F. Rocha, L. Almeida et al. “Opicapone: a short lived and very long acting novel catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor following multiple dose administration in healthy subjects”. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2013, November, 76(5): 763–775). Secondly, Ongentys tablets have the lowest risk for cytotoxicity in comparison with other catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors.