NEW YORK, Oct 20 (Reuters Health) -- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing approval to Comtan (entacapone) for use in Parkinson's patients who are taking the drug levodopa.
Comtan, a product of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation of East Hanover, New Jersey, helps to block breakdown of the drug levodopa, the most commonly used Parkinson's drug. With the breakdown of levodopa blocked, more of it reaches the brain, boosting its action, Dr. Warren Olanow of Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York explained.
Olanow was an investigator in clinical trials that involved approximately 30,000 patients with Parkinson's disease who were no longer responding to levodopa.
The addition of Comtan to levodopa therapy increased "on" time -- periods when levodopa effectively treats symptoms -- without any evidence of adverse effects, Olanow told Reuters Health. And in contrast to tocapone, another drug from the same family, Comtan did not show significant liver side effects, he said.
Adding Comtan to levodopa therapy means that the patient's dose of levodopa may be reduced, Olanow noted.
