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Entacapone

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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Entacapone is a catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitor which is licensed for treatment of Parkinson's disease as an adjunct to L-dopa.

Entacapone is effective in reducing "on-off" fluctuations and may improve dyskinesias by permitting a reduction in the dose of L-dopa.

  • wearing-off is one of the most frequent problems encountered by levodopa-treated patients
  • entacapone, a peripheral inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), reduces this motor complication by prolonging the effect of levodopa.

Unwanted effects include:

  • dyskinesias, which usually resolve when the L-dopa dose is reduced (often by 10-30%)
  • diarrhoea which is often temporary
  • discolouration of urine

Reference:

  • Brooks DJ, Sagar H (2003) Entacapone is beneficial in both fluctuating and non-fluctuating patients with Parkinson's disease: a randomised, placebo controlled, double blind, six month study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 74: 1071-1079.
  • MeReC Bulletin (1999), 10 (10), 37-40.

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