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International Specialists Warn About Dangers of Discontinuing Epilepsy Treatment: Presented at AES

NEW ORLEANS, LA -- December 10, 2004 -- Patients with epilepsy who stop taking their medication without medical supervision are more likely to require emergency room treatment and need more physician visits, according to a new survey of over 200 international epilepsy specialists,1 presented at the annual congress of the American Epilepsy Society (AES). But many of these emergencies may be avoidable if patients take anti-epilepsy drugs (AEDs) with good retention rates.

The new survey showed that almost one third of patients with epilepsy discontinue or seek to discontinue their AED therapy. Over 50% of physicians who took part blamed dose-related and cognitive side effects, and inadequate seizure control for these low retention rates.1

Yet, results of a major long-term study, also presented at the AES congress, showed that long-term retention rates (a measure of combined efficacy and tolerability) can be improved when patients experience good seizure control.2 Nearly two thirds of 811 patients with chronic epilepsy, unresponsive to other treatments, continued with the newer AED, Keppra®* (levetiracetam), for periods up to 41 months, with complete seizure freedom achieved in 18% of patients with refractory epilepsy who had failed on other AEDs.2

Reporting the results of the survey, Dr Gunter Krämer, Medical Director of the Swiss Epilepsy Center, Zurich, Switzerland, described the dangers of stopping AED treatment:

"Poor retention on AED therapy is frustrating for physicians and hazardous for patients because it results in uncontrolled seizures, with all the additional morbidity, mortality, emergency treatment, and increased costs, that this entails," he pointed out.

"When selecting an AED, physicians should consider treatments that offer long-term seizure freedom, with minimal side effects, which will encourage patients to continue their medication in the long term," he added.

Almost two thirds of physicians surveyed stated that poor long-term retention rates for AEDs result in a greater number of emergency room consultations and more than 50% attributed breakthrough seizures to poor long-term retention.1

Data from the new long-term Keppra treatment study showed significant numbers of patients getting rid of their seizures for prolonged periods.2 About one in five patients became seizure free for one to 35 months, with a mean of 11 months, and a further 29% had a reduction of 50% or more at some time during follow up.2 Seizure freedom was achieved in a broad range of partial seizure types and generalised epilepsy.2

"This large study not only confirms the high levels of efficacy and tolerability of Keppra that have previously been seen in clinical trials, but also shows that these are sustained during prolonged treatment, with low drop-out rates," said Dr Ley Sander, from the Departments of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy at the Institute of Neurology, London, and the National Society for Epilepsy, Chalfont St Peter, UK.

Forty six patients who took part in the study were able to control their epilepsy with levetiracetam monotherapy.2 Of these, 26 achieved periods of seizure freedom ranging from 2-35 months (mean 13 months).2

The results of the study add to the growing body of evidence showing that levetiracetam provides good seizure-freedom rates with unmatched tolerability, making it an ideal choice for add-on therapy.

* Keppra® is a registered trademark of the UCB Group. Please consult your national product information as the trademark, as well as the prescribing information, may differ from one country to the other.



References
1. Krämer G, Harden C, Leppik I. International survey of long-term retention in epilepsy management, 2004.
2. Depondt C, Yuen AWC, Mula M, et al. Long-term retention and efficacy of levetiracetam in a large cohort of patients with chronic epilepsy. Presentation at the 58th American Epilepsy Society Congress, New Orleans, 6 December 2004.
3. Lhatoo SD, Wong IC, Polizzi G, et al. Long-term retention rates of lamotrigine, gabapentin and topiramate in chronic epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2000;41(12):1592-1596.


SOURCE: UCB Pharmaa

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