This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we investigated the effect of the catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor tolcapone 100 or 200 mg three times daily on activities of daily living and motor function in 298 patients with parkinsonism receiving levodopa but without motor fluctuations. At 6 months, both dosages of tolcapone produced significant reductions in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores for activities of daily living (Subscale II) and motor function (Subscale III) and in the total score for Subscales I to III. These improvements were maintained up to the 12-month assessment. At 6 months, both tolcapone groups had changes in levodopa dosage that were significantly different from placebo: the tolcapone groups had decreases in mean total daily dose of levodopa, whereas the placebo group had a mean increase. Tolcapone was well tolerated. The principal adverse events were levodopa-related, but these were generally mild or moderate. Diarrhea was the most frequent nondopaminergic adverse event. Tolcapone appears to be beneficial in the treatment of patients with parkinsonism who have not yet developed motor fluctuations.
Footnotes
-
Reprinted from Neurology 1997; 49:665-671, with permission.
See Appendix for members of the Tolcapone Stable Study Group.
Supported by F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland.
Presented in part at the 48th annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, San Francisco, March, 1996.
Received December 27, 1996. Accepted in final form April 10, 1997.
Series editor: Stanley Fahn MD
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Alert Me
Recommended articles
Tolcapone in stable Parkinson's disease: Efficacy and safety of long-term treatment
Catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibition with tolcapone reduces the"wearing off" phenomenon and levodopa requirements in fluctuating parkinsonian patients
Tolcapone improves motor function in parkinsonian patients with the"wearing-off" phenomenon: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial
Tolcapone improves motor function in parkinsonian patients with the"wearing-off" phenomenon