The recommended time to take Ongentys (opicapone) is once daily at bedtime and at least one hour after food. Eating is also not recommended for an hour of taking Ongentys.

Ongentys comes in capsule form and is a COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) inhibitor used as an add-on (adjunctive) treatment to levodopa/carbidopa in people with Parkinson’s disease experiencing ‘off’ episodes.

Why is Ongentys taken at night?

Ongentys works by increasing the amount of levodopa that reaches the brain, prolonging how long it is effective for. Ongentys does this by blocking the COMT enzyme, which breaks down levodopa in the blood.

By taking Ongentys at night or at least one hour apart from levodopa, the amount of levodopa available after a dose is increased, but any interaction between the two drugs during the levodopa absorption phase is avoided. Taking Ongentys at night means that there’s greater flexibility to adjust when levodopa is taken during the day, without the need to consider potential absorption interactions.