How much does a box of Opicapone cost? Comparative analysis of domestic and foreign prices

Opicapone is a COMT inhibitor used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. It can be combined with levodopa to extend its action time in the body. The drug has not yet been approved for marketing in mainland China, so it cannot be purchased directly in the domestic market and is not included in the national medical insurance directory. For Parkinson's disease patients who need to use Opicapone, the main way to purchase the drug is to import the drug from abroad through regular overseas drug purchase channels.

In overseas markets, the sales of Opicapone are relatively stable, and the original drug is still the main product. The drug was developed by the Portuguese pharmaceutical company BIAL and later promoted in different regions by Novartis's Neurocrine Biosciences and other companies. In the European market, the price of the original version of Opicapone is about more than 2,000 yuan per box (prices vary slightly in different countries), and the specifications are generally 50mg/30 tablets. Judging from the current exchange rate and drug supply, the price is relatively at an upper-middle level, and long-term use is still a considerable expense.

There are currently no generic drugs of Opicapone on the market, which means that patients worldwide can only choose the original drug. Due to the lack of price competition from generic drugs, the selling price of Opicapone has always remained at a high level. In contrast, the prices of some Parkinson's auxiliary drugs that have been launched as generics, such as entacapone, have been significantly reduced. Therefore, when patients choose opicapone as an auxiliary treatment drug, they need to comprehensively evaluate the efficacy and economic burden.

Generally speaking, Opicapone is not yet on the market in China, and patients can only rely on overseas channels to obtain the original drug, which costs about more than 2,000 yuan per box. There is currently no generic version, and the price is uncompetitive. Patients who use it for a long time need to consider the formality and cost of the source of drug purchase, and arrange a reasonable treatment plan under the guidance of a professional doctor. If Opicapone can be approved for marketing in China and entered into the medical insurance directory in the future, it is expected to significantly reduce the burden of drug purchase on patients.

Reference materials:https://www.ongentys.com/