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Bimodal administration of entacapone in Parkinson’s disease patients improves motor control
Author(s) -
Bet L.,
Bareggi S. R.,
Pacei F.,
Bondiolotti G.,
Meola G.,
Schapira A. H. V
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
european journal of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.881
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1468-1331
pISSN - 1351-5101
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-1331.2007.02043.x
Subject(s) - entacapone , levodopa , catechol o methyl transferase , parkinson's disease , medicine , benserazide , pharmacology , pharmacokinetics , anesthesia , disease , chemistry , biochemistry , allele , gene
Catechol‐ O ‐methyl transferase (COMT) inhibition by entacapone enhances levodopa absorption and reduces ‘off’ time in Parkinson’s disease (PD). We hypothesized that the administration of entacapone in a bimodal fashion (two doses 1 h apart) would enhance levodopa absorption and improve the motor symptoms of PD. Patients with PD ( n = 17) were given immediate (IR)‐ or controlled (CR)‐release levodopa each with either one or two doses of entacapone. Bimodal entacapone produced a significant increase in IR and CR levodopa half‐life, ‘area under the curve’ (AUC), and C max with levodopa CR. For both IR and CR levodopa, bimodal entacapone resulted in a significant improvement in the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (motor). Bimodal entacapone increased COMT inhibition, improved the pharmacokinetics of levodopa and improved motor scores for 6 to 8 h. Bimodal use of entacapone may be useful in selected patients to improve motor control and implies that controlled release COMT inhibition would be beneficial in PD patients.