PracticeUpdate: Neurology - Winter 2018

CONFERENCE COVERAGE 16

Perampanel Demonstrates Sustained Long-TermEfficacy Against Secondarily Generalized Seizures and Safety in Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy Perampanel has been found to demonstrate good and sustained long-term efficacy against secondarily generalized seizures, finds a pooled analysis of phase III studies and their open-label extension. D avid Ko, MD, of Loma Linda University in Califor- nia, explained that perampanel is approved for adjunctive treatment of partial seizures, with or partial seizures,” Dr. Ko noted. “More information on using it can be gleaned from analyzing reports of with non-enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs. The long half-life of perampanel of 106 h needs to be considered when determining the optimal use of this antiepileptic drug with a novel mechanism of action.”

without secondarily generalized seizures and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients with epi- lepsy age ≥12 years. “Generalized seizures,” Dr. Ko told Elsevier’s Practi- ceUpdate , “either primary/idiopathic or secondarily generalized – now called bilateral to tonic clonic – are very dramatic seizures with potentially serious con- sequences including sudden unexpected death in epilepsy patients (SUDEP).” He continued, “Most studies for partial seizures (now called focal seizures) report a reduction in these but few address secondarily generalized seizures, for- merly called gran mal seizures. “Perampanel has been approved as monotherapy for

The approval of perampanel for partial seizures was based on results of three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III studies: 304, 305, and 306. Patients completing any of these were eligible to enter the open-label extension of study 307. Dr. Ko and colleagues set out to report on the efficacy of perampanel as adjunctive treatment of secondarily generalized seizures. Enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs vs non-enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs were administered in both the phase III and open-la- bel extension studies.

PRACTICEUPDATE NEUROLOGY