Beirut, 25 November 2014: Epilepsy featured prominently at the just-concluded 6th Lebanese Society of Neurology International Congress, with the introduction of lacosamide – a drug commercialized as VIMPAT that is available in tablets, oral solution or injections as an adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients with epilepsy aged 16 years or older.
“Partial-onset seizures can manifest as simple partial seizures with no alteration in the level of awareness, complex partial seizures during which the patient is typically confused and poorly responsive, and secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizures that are the severe seizures sometimes referred to as grand mal seizures,” explained Dr. Nabil Mohsen, Lebanese Society of Neurology President.
“Approximately one third of patients with partial-onset seizures do not respond to the available anticonvulsants which makes lacosamide a welcome addition to the armamentarium of clinicians treating patients with epilepsy,” added Dr. Ahmad Beydoun, Professor of Neurology and Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the American University of Beirut Medical Center. “Lacosamide is a drug that has a unique mechanism of action which was shown to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of partial-onset seizures.”
Lacosamide received FDA approval in September as monotherapy treatment of partial-onset seizures for those 17 or older.
“This is a new indication for lacosamide which is already approved as adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures in patients in this age group,” said Dr. SanaaMrabeti, Therapeutic Area Medical Lead, NewBridge Pharmaceuticals.
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting approximately 65 million people worldwide, including an estimated 40,000 people in Lebanon according to Dr. Beydoun.Anyone at any age can develop the condition, which is defined as two or more unprovoked seizures that occur at least 24 hours apart.
Epilepsy has no identifiable cause in about half its sufferers. It sometimes has genetic roots, but may also stem from head trauma, brain conditions, infectious diseases, prenatal injury, or developmental disorders.
Seizures Types
Partial-onset seizures begin with an electrical discharge in one limited area of the brain. They arise from various factors, including head injury, brain infection, stroke, tumor, or abnormal prenatal brain development. Some can also occur during sleep.
When electrical activity from partial-onset seizures spreads throughout the brain, sufferers experience what are called secondary generalized seizures, which occur in more than 30% of people with partial epilepsy.
Clinical Trials
Approvals and indications for lacosamidein adjunctive therapy are based on data from three multicenter clinical trials involving over 1,300 patients suffering from partial-onset seizures (median baseline seizure frequency ranging from 10 to 17 seizures per month) despite being on one to three other antiepileptics. Forty five percent of patients had previously tried seven or more antiepileptics to control their seizures.
In terms of pharmacokinetics, lacosamide is completely absorbed, does not require drug-level monitoring and has no known clinically significant interactions which makes it well-tolerated with no known drug-drug interactions.