# Real-world data of opicapone in patients with Parkinson’s disease experiencing motor fluctuations: the OPTIMO study

**Authors:** María‑Rosario Luquin, Nuria Lopez-Ariztegui, Juan Carlos Martínez Castrillo, Lydia López Manzanares, Isabel Sastre Bataller, Antonio Koukoulis Fernández, Bárbara Vives Pastor, Berta Solano Vila, María Álvarez Sauco, Javier Pagonabarraga Mora, José Matías Arbelo González, Pedro José García Ruiz-Espiga, Oriol de Fàbregues, Javier López del Val, Víctor Campos Arillo, Clara Moreno, José Blanco Ameijeiras, Isabel Pijuan Jiménez, Iciar Tegel Ayuela

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2026.1738500 · 2026-02-19

## TL;DR

This study shows that adding opicapone to levodopa helps reduce motor fluctuations in Parkinson's patients without worsening dyskinesias.

## Contribution

The study provides real-world evidence of opicapone's effectiveness and safety in Parkinson's patients with motor fluctuations.

## Key findings

- Opicapone reduced wearing-off phenomena and off-time in Parkinson's patients.
- Clinical improvement was observed without worsening dyskinesias across PD phenotypes.
- UPDRS scores improved, indicating better motor function and daily activities.

## Abstract

Evaluate the outcomes of opicapone as an add-on treatment to levodopa/DDCI in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and motor fluctuations (MF) in a real-world setting.

Observational, retrospective, and post-authorization study in patients with PD and MF treated with opicapone at 16 Spanish Movement Disorders centers.

Of 245 patients included (55.9% men; mean [standard deviation] age: 67.7 [10.4] years), 41.9 and 33.6% presented rigid-akinetic and tremor-dominant phenotypes, respectively; 43.8% had a history of dyskinesias. Patients started treatment with 50 mg/day opicapone 8.3 (5.3) years after diagnosis. At initiation, the mean levodopa dose was 620.7 (313.7) mg/day. According to the PGI-C (available in 178 patients), 74.2% of patients reported clinical improvement in MF, without worsening of dykinesias in 64.6%. Clinical improvement of MF with stable/improved dyskinesias was similar between PD phenotypes (p = 0.327). Opicapone reduced the percentage of patients experiencing wearing-off phenomena (98.0% vs. 61.6%), delayed-on (10.2% vs. 5.3%; p = 0.010), no-on (6.5% vs. 2.9%; p = 0.027), and non-motor fluctuations (21.6% vs. 15.1%; p = 0.010). Furthermore, the off-time decreased (143.3 vs. 67.9 min/day; p < 0.001). After 4.8 (3.6) months of treatment, scores in UPDRS Parts II-IV significantly decreased, suggesting additional improvements in daily activities and motor function. The mean daily time with dyskinesias did not increase after initiating opicapone. Mild adverse events were observed in 21 (8.3%) patients.

This study demonstrates that opicapone added to levodopa improves motor function and reduces MF without significantly enhancing dyskinesia intensity, along with a tolerable profile. Moreover, there were no differences regarding clinical improvement among PD phenotypes.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** opicapone (PubChem CID 135565903), levodopa (PubChem CID 6047)
- **Diseases:** Parkinson’s disease (MONDO:0005180)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) [NCBI Gene 1312] {aka HEL-S-98n}, PGR (progesterone receptor) [NCBI Gene 5241] {aka NR3C3, PR}, MAOB (monoamine oxidase B) [NCBI Gene 4129]
- **Diseases:** MF (MESH:C538007), fatigue (MESH:D005221), loose stools (MESH:D007594), acute respiratory failure (MESH:D012131), anxiety (MESH:D001007), diabetes (MESH:D003920), insomnia (MESH:D007319), PD (MESH:D010300), choreic dyskinesias (MESH:D002819), dyslipidemia (MESH:D050171), pain (MESH:D010146), sleep disorders (MESH:D012893), gastrointestinal symptoms (MESH:D012817), SAEs (MESH:D045169), Movement Disorders (MESH:D009069), akinetic rigid (MESH:D009127), MS (MESH:D009103), constipation (MESH:D003248), akinesia (MESH:C537921), impulse control disorder (MESH:D007174), abnormal movements (MESH:D004409), dizziness (MESH:D004244), tremor (MESH:D014202), akinetic (MESH:D018476), hypertension (MESH:D006973), postural instability and gait difficulties (MESH:D054972), hallucinations (MESH:D006212)
- **Chemicals:** dopamine (MESH:D004298), Opicapone (MESH:C549349), levodopa (MESH:D007980), DDCI (-)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Figures

2 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12961986/full.md

---
Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12961986