Patient-reported outcomes in epilepsy: a case study exploring their usage and impact.

Background: This study aimed to obtain insights from epilepsy specialists on the use of Patient-Reported Outcome (PRO) measures and how they can affect the management of people with epilepsy and healthcare resource utilization. Methods: The heads of two referral units for people with epilepsy at one tertiary care hospital were invited to respond to a structured survey. Results: Paper-based questionnaires and face-to-face interviews were the main modalities used to measure the quality of life of people with epilepsy. The Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31 (QOLIE-31), the Adverse Event Profile (adult centre), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Short-Form Health Survey 36, PSY-Flex, SAFA and Child Behavior Checklist (paediatric centre) were the most used scales. There was consensus about the favourable impact of PRO upon patient management, disease management and measurement of the success of a treatment. Both respondents considered the PRO as important as other main indicators like efficacy and tolerability of the treatment. Lack of time, personnel and economic resources was identified as a barrier on the use of PRO. The PRO could reduce the number of visits, exams and treatments, and increase the time spent on each patient and the number of neuropsychological, psychological and rehabilitation services. The standardized use of PRO was considered useful and the increase in human resources was considered a priority to achieve this goal. Conclusions: Despite the heterogeneity in the actual collection of PRO, there was a uniform perception about their role to optimize the care of people with epilepsy.

Sex Differences in Adverse Effects of Antiseizure Medications in Adults with Epilepsy: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Sex differences in epilepsy have been described in prevalence, seizure propensity and response to treatment. Therefore, taking into account sex-based differences in epilepsy is important for both diagnostic purposes and therapeutic considerations. However, little is known about sex differences in adverse effects of antiseizure medications (ASMs). OBJECTIVES: We performed a systematic review searching for sex differences in adverse effects of ASMs in adult persons with epilepsy (PWE) as part of a wider project aimed to assess sex-based differences in efficacy and adverse effects of ASMs in PWE. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive literature search in the PubMed database. The search was conducted with no restriction on publication date, and all results up to April 2020 were included. We included articles written in English, Italian, Spanish, or French that evaluated adverse effects of one or more ASMs in PWE, with specific mention of the two sexes. When appropriate, Newcastle-Ottawa or Jadad scales were used to assess study quality. RESULTS: Of 5164 identified studies, only 167 considered sex in the analysis and were therefore included. Significant sex-related differences were found in 58 of those studies. We found a consistently higher frequency of cutaneous adverse effects in females; higher risk of developing general adverse effects on different ASMs in females; stronger risk of adverse effects on bone metabolism in females, mainly on treatment with enzyme-inducing ASMs; a concordant higher risk of visual field loss was noted in males on vigabatrin; an overall worse lipid profile in males; as well as higher leptin levels and higher body mass index in females treated with various ASMs. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis has identified some important sex differences in the adverse effects of ASMs. Clinicians should be aware of these differences when informing patients about the risks associated with ASM treatment in PWE.

Brivaracetam use in clinical practice: a Delphi consensus on its role as first add-on therapy in focal epilepsy and beyond.

BACKGROUND: Antiseizure medications remain the cornerstone of treatment for epilepsy, although a proportion of individuals with the condition will continue to experience seizures despite appropriate therapy. Treatment choices for epilepsy are based on variables related to both the individual patient and the available medications. Brivaracetam is a third-generation agent antiseizure medication. METHODS: We carried out a Delphi consensus exercise to define the role of brivaracetam in clinical practice and to provide guidance about its use as first add-on ASM and in selected clinical scenarios. A total of 15 consensus statements were drafted by an expert panel following review of the literature and all were approved in the first round of voting by panelists. The consensus indicated different clinical scenarios for which brivaracetam can be a good candidate for treatment, including first add-on use. RESULTS: Overall, brivaracetam was considered to have many advantageous characteristics that render it a suitable option for patients with focal epilepsy, including a fast onset of action, favorable pharmacokinetic profile with few drug-drug interactions, broad-spectrum activity, and being well tolerated across a range of doses. Brivaracetam is also associated with sustained clinical response and good tolerability in the long term. CONCLUSIONS: These characteristics also make it suitable as an early add-on for the elderly and for patients with post-stroke epilepsy or status epilepticus as highlighted by the present Delphi consensus.

A real-world comparison among third-generation antiseizure medications: Results from the COMPARE study.

OBJECTIVE: There are few comparative data on the third-generation antiseizure medications (ASMs). We aimed to assess and compare the effectiveness of brivaracetam (BRV), eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL), lacosamide (LCM), and perampanel (PER) in people with epilepsy (PWE). Efficacy and tolerability were compared as secondary objectives. METHODS: This multicenter, retrospective study collected data from 22 Italian neurology/epilepsy centers. All adult PWE who started add-on treatment with one of the studied ASMs between January 2018 and October 2021 were included. Retention rate was established as effectiveness measure and described using Kaplan-Meier curves and the best fitting survival model. The responder status and the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) were used to evaluate efficacy and safety, respectively. The odds of AEs and drug efficacy were estimated by two multilevel logistic models. RESULTS: A total of 960 patients (52.92% females, median age = 43 years) met the inclusion criteria. They mainly suffered from structural epilepsy (52.29%) with monthly (46.2%) focal seizures (69.58%). Compared with LCM, all the studied ASMs had a higher dropout risk, statistically significant in the BRV levetiracetam (LEV)-naïve (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.17-3.29) and PER groups (HR = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.06-2.55). Women were at higher risk of discontinuing ESL (HR = 5.33, 95% CI = 1.71-16.61), as well as PER-treated patients with unknown epilepsy etiology versus those with structural etiology (HR = 1.74, 95% CI = 1.05-2.88). BRV with prior LEV therapy showed lower odds of efficacy (odds ratio [OR] = .08, 95% CI = .01-.48) versus LCM, whereas a higher efficacy was observed in women treated with BRV and LEV-naïve (OR = 10.32, 95% CI = 1.55-68.78) versus men. PER (OR = 6.93, 95% CI = 3.32-14.44) and BRV in LEV-naïve patients (OR = 6.80, 95% CI = 2.64-17.52) had a higher chance of AEs than LCM. SIGNIFICANCE: Comparative evidence from real-world studies may help clinicians to tailor treatments according to patients' demographic and clinical characteristics.

Adjunctive brivaracetam and sustained seizure frequency reduction in very active focal epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of brivaracetam (BRV) according to baseline seizure frequency and past treatment history in subjects with focal epilepsy who were included in the Brivaracetam Add-On First Italian Network Study (BRIVAFIRST). METHODS: BRIVAFIRST was a 12-month retrospective, multicenter study including adults prescribed adjunctive BRV. Study outcomes included sustained seizure response (SSR), sustained seizure freedom (SSF), and the rates of treatment discontinuation and adverse events (AEs). Baseline seizure frequency was stratified as <5, 5-20, and >20 seizures per month, and the number of prior antiseizure medications (ASMs) as <5 and ≥6. RESULTS: A total of 994 participants were included. During the 1-year study period, SSR was reached by 45.8%, 39.3%, and 22.6% of subjects with a baseline frequency of <5, 5-20, and >20 seizures per month (p < .001); the corresponding figures for the SSF were 23.4%, 9.8%, and 2.8% (p < .001). SSR was reached by 51.2% and 26.5% participants with a history of 1-5 and ≥6 ASMs (p < .001); the corresponding rates of SSF were 24.7% and 4.5% (p < .001). Treatment discontinuation due to lack of efficacy was more common in participants with >20 seizures compared to those with <5 seizures per month (25.8% vs. 9.3%, p < .001), and in participants with history of ≥6 prior ASMs compared to those with history of 1-5 ASMs (19.6% vs. 12.2%, p = .002). There were no differences in the rates of BRV withdrawal due to AEs and the rates of AEs across the groups of participants defined according to the number of seizures at baseline and the number of prior ASMs. SIGNIFICANCE: The baseline seizure frequency and the number of previous ASMs were predictors of sustained seizure frequency reduction with adjunctive BRV in subjects with focal epilepsy.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: A critical view of the literature.

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed, non-traumatic and non-drowning death, occurring in benign circumstances, in an individual with epilepsy, with or without evidence for a seizure and excluding documented status epilepticus in which postmortem examination does not reveal other causes of death. Lower diagnostic levels are assigned when cases met most or all of these criteria, but data suggested more than one possible cause of death. The incidence of SUDEP ranged from 0.09 to 2.4 per 1000 person-years. Differences can be attributed to the age of the study populations (with peaks in the 20-40-year age group) and the severity of the disease. Young age, disease severity (in particular, a history of generalized TCS), having symptomatic epilepsy, and the response to antiseizure medications (ASMs) are possible independent predictors of SUDEP. The pathophysiological mechanisms are not fully known due to the limited data available and because SUDEP is not always witnessed and has been electrophysiologically monitored only in a few cases with simultaneous assessment of respiratory, cardiac, and brain activity. The pathophysiological basis of SUDEP may vary according to different circumstances that make that particular seizure, in that specific moment and in that patient, a fatal event. The main hypothesized mechanisms, which could contribute to a cascade of events, are cardiac dysfunction (included potential effects of ASMs, genetically determined channelopathies, acquired heart diseases), respiratory dysfunction (included postictal arousal deficit for the respiratory mechanism, acquired respiratory diseases), neuromodulator dysfunction, postictal EEG depression and genetic factors.

Cenobamate as add-on therapy for drug resistant epilepsies: effectiveness, drug to drug interactions and neuropsychological impact. What have we learned from real word evidence?

Background: Cenobamate (CNB) is an anti-seizure medication (ASM) approved in 2021 in Europe for adjunctive treatment of focal-onset seizures in adults who were not adequately controlled with at least two previous ASMs. Methods: seizure outcome, treatment-emergent adverse events, neuropsychological profile, and blood levels of CNB and concomitant ASM were analyzed in a real world setting in two different Italian epilepsy centers in the context of CNB early access program. All patients performed a general cognitive evaluation, while 32 patients underwent the administration of a battery of neuropsychological tests at baseline and 6 months after CNB treatment. We performed CNB quantification in plasma in 31 patients at different doses in the range of 100-400 mg/day (65 measures). Results: we enrolled 54 patients with a median age of 27.9 years. The mean follow-up was 10.7 months. Most (91%) completed the efficacy analysis. At last follow-up visit, a 69.5% median seizure reduction was registered. Thirty-two patients (59.2%) had a ≥50% reduction of seizures that was ≥75% in 20 (42.0%) cases, whilst 10 (20.2%) patients were seizure-free. The most common adverse events were somnolence (53.1%), dizziness (28.1%) and diplopia (12.5%). The correlation between CNB dose and plasma concentration, revealed a significant linear correlation (r = 0.86, p < 0.0001), and there was a significant difference in mean plasma concentration/dose administered ratio (C/D ratio) between patients taking or not at least one inducer (0.10 ± 0.04 [(µg/mL)/(mg/day)]; n = 47 vs. 0.13 ± 0.05 [(µg/mL)/(mg/day)]; n = 18, p = 0.04). CNB dose was inversely correlated (r = -0.31, p = 0.02) to the C/D ratio of Carbamazepine blood levels. and positively correlated (r = 0.74, p < 0.0001) with an increased plasma concentration of the active Clobazam metabolite N-desmethylclobazam. General Anxiety Disorder-7 showed a significant improvement of score from baseline evaluation of 6.82 to follow-up 6 months evaluation of 4.53 (p = 0.03). Conclusion: In this real-world study, we registered a clinically meaningful reduction in seizure frequency after CNB administration in most patients along with a good tolerability profile. CNB treatment is correlate to a reduction in symptom severity of anxiety score. Plasma levels measurements confirm that CNB acts both as "victim" and as "perpetrator" of drug-drug interactions.

Current safety concerns about the use of antiseizure medications in pregnancy.

INTRODUCTION: Given the high prevalence of epilepsy in women of childbearing potential (15 million out of 50 million people worldwide), antiseizure medication (ASM) use in pregnancy is common. Identifying the safest and most effective ASM to use during pregnancy is often difficult, but also crucially important. The challenge is to balance two needs: maintaining seizure control while minimizing teratogenicity. AREAS COVERED: This review looks at seizure- and treatment-related risks to mother and fetus during pregnancy, existing healthcare information programmes, strengths and pitfalls of the main pregnancy registries, known and supposed pharmacokinetic changes during gestation, the utility of therapeutic drug monitoring, and safety concerns. Articles and related content were screened on available publications after January 2000. EXPERT OPINION: The use of newer ASMs during pregnancy is still limited, as shown by the paucity of data collected by different pregnancy registries. Choosing these medications can be challenging, partly due to unknown pharmacokinetic modifications in pregnancy, an aspect that serum drug monitoring might help to clarify. The safest treatment is chosen also taking into account the woman's needs, concerns and wishes, but adequate pre-pregnancy counseling is necessary to properly inform her about personal and fetal risks related both to seizures and to medications.

A case of repeated focal motor seizures as expression of an inflammatory cerebral process with suspected dysimmune etiology.

Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) is a condition of severe brain inflammation with a complex differential diagnosis. The identification of a specific neuronal antibody (NA) is not mandatory to diagnose AE. Moreover, even when a NA is detected, the clinical picture can be inconsequential (i.e., GAD-65) and not disease-specific (i.e., LGI1). Peculiar clinical manifestations and specific alterations of conventional tests as cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be sufficient to confirm the diagnostic suspicion of AE. New-onset seizures may be the first manifestation of AE and require immediate treatment. We report the case of a 19-year-old woman with sudden onset of focal motor seizures with unimpaired awareness, resistant to different intravenous antiseizure medications (ASMs). Ancillary tests (MRI, CSF analysis and electroencephalogram) were pathological and compatible with an autoimmune disorder of the brain. A weak positivity of GluR-3 antibody was detected in low serum dilution along with very high levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme in serum. After administration of high-dose corticosteroids, electro-clinical and neuroradiological pictures progressively normalized. This case report suggests that, even without a definite NA positivity, an inflammatory brain disorder of suspected autoimmune etiology should be considered based on clinical assessment and suggestive ancillary tests.

On epilepsy perception: Unravelling gaps and issues.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases, but it can sometimes be under-reported or have a time delay in diagnosis. This data is not surprising if we consider that a person often seeks medical attention only after presenting a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Epilepsy diagnostic delay is caused by several factors: under-reporting by patients, under-diagnosed epileptic manifestations by inexperienced clinicians, and lack of time in the emergency setting. The consequences of this delay are increased accidents, a high rate of premature mortality, and economic expanses for the healthcare system. Moreover, people with epilepsy have a higher probability of comorbidities than the general population, such as mood disorders or cognitive problems. Along with recurrent seizures, these comorbid diseases promote isolation and stigmatization of people with epilepsy, who suffer from discrimination at school, in the workplace, and even in social relationships. Public awareness of epilepsy and its comorbidities is necessary to prevent diagnostic delays and overcome social and professional iniquities for people with epilepsy.

Brivaracetam as Early Add-On Treatment in Patients with Focal Seizures: A Retrospective, Multicenter, Real-World Study.

INTRODUCTION: In randomized controlled trials, add-on brivaracetam (BRV) reduced seizure frequency in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Most real-world research on BRV has focused on refractory epilepsy. The aim of this analysis was to assess the 12-month effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive BRV when used as early or late adjunctive treatment in patients included in the BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk Study (BRIVAFIRST). METHODS: BRIVAFIRST was a 12-month retrospective, multicenter study including adult patients prescribed adjunctive BRV. Effectiveness outcomes included the rates of sustained seizure response, sustained seizure freedom, and treatment discontinuation. Safety and tolerability outcomes included the rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs) and the incidence of AEs. Data were compared for patients treated with add-on BRV after 1-2 (early add-on) and ≥ 3 (late add-on) prior antiseizure medications. RESULTS: A total of 1029 patients with focal epilepsy were included in the study, of whom 176 (17.1%) received BRV as early add-on treatment. The median daily dose of BRV at 12 months was 125 (100-200) mg in the early add-on group and 200 (100-200) in the late add-on group (p < 0.001). Sustained seizure response was reached by 97/161 (60.3%) of patients in the early add-on group and 286/833 (34.3%) of patients in the late add-on group (p < 0.001). Sustained seizure freedom was achieved by 51/161 (31.7%) of patients in the early add-on group and 91/833 (10.9%) of patients in the late add-on group (p < 0.001). During the 1-year study period, 29 (16.5%) patients in the early add-on group and 241 (28.3%) in the late add-on group discontinued BRV (p = 0.001). Adverse events were reported by 38.7% and 28.5% (p = 0.017) of patients who received BRV as early and late add-on treatment, respectively. CONCLUSION: Brivaracetam was effective and well tolerated both as first add-on and late adjunctive treatment in patients with focal epilepsy.

Sex differences in side effects of antiseizure medications in pediatric patients with epilepsy: A systematic review.

PURPOSE: To perform a systematic review searching for differences in the side effects of antiseizure medications (ASMs) with respect to sex in pediatric patients with epilepsy. METHODS: We carried out a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed database and all results up to April 2020 were included. Titles, abstracts, and full texts of the articles were screened by two independent reviewers. We included all studies evaluating the side effects of ASMs in patients with epilepsy younger than 18 years, with reference to the two sexes. Studies on ASMs used for indications other than epilepsy were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 5164 studies were identified. Sixty-seven studies were finally included, 5 of them also including adult patients in the sample. Sixteen studies revealed sex-related differences in side effects of ASMs, disclosing a higher frequency of general side effects in girls: a higher risk of overweight, hyperammonaemia, high leptin levels, and carnitine deficiency in girls on valproic acid; a lower height increase, an increased risk of weight loss, the anecdotical occurrence of acute psychosis in girls on topiramate; a higher risk of retinal toxicity in boys on vigabatrin. CONCLUSION: The effect of sex on susceptibility to side effects of ASMs is poorly investigated with sparse results, and it could be underestimated. The findings of our study point to the presence of sex differences which should be thoroughly investigated to be confirmed, highlighting the need for a systematic evaluation of sex as a determinant variable influencing the response to medications in clinical research.

Rapid versus slow withdrawal of antiepileptic monotherapy in two-year seizure-free adults patients with epilepsy (RASLOW) study: A pragmatic multicentre, prospective, randomized, controlled study.

PURPOSE: To establish whether a slow or a rapid withdrawal of antiepileptic monotherapy influences relapse rate in seizure-free adults with epilepsy and calculates compliance and differences in the severity of relapses, based on the occurrence of status epilepticus, seizure-related injuries, and death. METHODS: This is a multicentre, prospective, randomized, open label, non-inferiority trial in people aged 16 + years who were seizure-free for more than 2 years. Patients were randomized to slow withdrawal (160 days) or rapid withdrawal (60 days) and were followed for 12 months. The primary outcome was the probability of a first seizure relapse within the 12-months follow-up. The secondary outcomes included the cumulative probability of relapse at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. A non-inferiority analysis was performed with non-inferiority margin of - 0.15 for the difference between the probabilities of seizure recurrence in slow versus rapid withdrawal. RESULTS: The sample comprised 48 patients, 25 randomized to slow withdrawal and 23 to rapid withdrawal. Median follow-up was 11.9 months. In the intention-to-treat population, 3 patients in the slow-withdrawal group and 1 in the rapid withdrawal group experienced seizure relapses. The corresponding probabilities of seizure recurrence were 0.12 for slow withdrawal and 0.04 for rapid withdrawal, giving a difference of 0.08 (95% CI - 0.12; 0.27), which is entirely above the non-inferiority margin. No patients developed status epilepticus and seizure-related injuries or died. Risks were similar in the Per-Protocol population. CONCLUSIONS: Seizure-relapse rate after drug discontinuation is lower than in other reports, without complications and unrelated to the duration of tapering.

Seizure medication and planned pregnancy: balancing the risks and outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The therapeutic management of women with epilepsy (WWE) of childbearing age can be complicated by the need to balance maternal/fetal risks related to seizure occurrence during gestation with the potential teratogenic risks related to the use of anti-seizure medications (ASMs). AREAS COVERED: The authors review clinical evidence on seizure-related and ASM-related risks during pregnancy. Current regulatory indications are discussed, evaluating their impact on clinical practice, and ethical implications of pharmacological decisions are debated. EXPERT OPINION: If properly informed about the maternal/fetal risks carried by different pharmacological choices, WWE can become the final decision makers regarding their care in every phase of their life. Over the coming years, analysis of aggregated pregnancy registry data on the structural impact, on the fetus, of low doses of valproate and of newer ASMs, together with analysis of the main population study data on functional (cognitive and behavioral) outcomes, could lead to huge advances, making choosing an ASM a less complex process for the clinician and a less painful decision for the woman. Future objectives should include identification of the potential role of the pharmacogenomic profile of WWE in determining the risk of fetal malformations.

Adjunctive Brivaracetam in Older Patients with Focal Seizures: Evidence from the BRIVAracetam add­on First Italian netwoRk Study (BRIVAFIRST).

BACKGROUND: The management of epilepsy in older adults has become part of daily practice because of an aging population. Older patients with epilepsy represent a distinct and more vulnerable clinical group as compared with younger patients, and they are generally under-represented in randomized placebo-controlled trials. Real-world studies can therefore be a useful complement to characterize the drug's profile. Brivaracetam is a rationally developed compound characterized by high-affinity binding to synaptic vesicle protein 2A and approved as adjunctive therapy for focal seizures in adults with epilepsy. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the 12-month effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive brivaracetam in older patients (≥65 years of age) with epilepsy treated in a real-world setting. METHODS: The BRIVAFIRST (BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk STudy) was a 12-month retrospective multicenter study including adult patients prescribed adjunctive brivaracetam. Effectiveness outcomes included the rates of seizure response (≥50% reduction in baseline seizure frequency), seizure freedom, and treatment discontinuation. Safety and tolerability outcomes included the rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events and the incidence of adverse events. Data were compared for patients aged ≥65 years of age ('older') vs those aged <65 years ('younger'). RESULTS: There were 1029 patients with focal epilepsy included in the study, of whom 111 (10.8%) were aged ≥65 years. The median daily dose of brivaracetam at 3 months was 100 [interquartile range, 100-175] mg in the older group and 100 [100-200] mg in the younger group (p = 0.036); it was 150 [100-200] mg in both groups either at 6 months (p = 0.095) or 12 months (p = 0.140). At 12 months, 49 (44.1%) older and 334 (36.4%) younger patients had a reduction in their baseline seizure frequency by at least 50% (p = 0.110), and the seizure freedom rates were 35/111 (31.5%) and 134/918 (14.6%) in older and younger groups, respectively (p < 0.001). During the 1-year study period, 20 (18.0%) patients in the older group and 245 (26.7%) patients in the younger group discontinued brivaracetam (p = 0.048). Treatment withdrawal because of insufficient efficacy was less common in older than younger patients [older: n = 7 (6.3%), younger: n = 152 (16.6%); p = 0.005]. Adverse events were reported by 24.2% of older patients and 30.8% of younger patients (p = 0.185); the most common adverse events were somnolence, nervousness and/or agitation, vertigo, and fatigue in both study groups. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive brivaracetam was efficacious, had good tolerability, and no new or unexpected safety signals emerged when used to treat older patients with uncontrolled focal seizures in clinical practice. Adjunctive brivaracetam can be a suitable therapeutic option in this special population.

Sustained seizure freedom with adjunctive brivaracetam in patients with focal onset seizures.

The maintenance of seizure control over time is a clinical priority in patients with epilepsy. The aim of this study was to assess the sustained seizure frequency reduction with adjunctive brivaracetam (BRV) in real-world practice. Patients with focal epilepsy prescribed add-on BRV were identified. Study outcomes included sustained seizure freedom and sustained seizure response, defined as a 100% and a ≥50% reduction in baseline seizure frequency that continued without interruption and without BRV withdrawal through the 12-month follow-up. Nine hundred ninety-four patients with a median age of 45 (interquartile range = 32-56) years were included. During the 1-year study period, sustained seizure freedom was achieved by 142 (14.3%) patients, of whom 72 (50.7%) were seizure-free from Day 1 of BRV treatment. Sustained seizure freedom was maintained for ≥6, ≥9, and 12 months by 14.3%, 11.9%, and 7.2% of patients from the study cohort. Sustained seizure response was reached by 383 (38.5%) patients; 236 of 383 (61.6%) achieved sustained ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency by Day 1, 94 of 383 (24.5%) by Month 4, and 53 of 383 (13.8%) by Month 7 up to Month 12. Adjunctive BRV was associated with sustained seizure frequency reduction from the first day of treatment in a subset of patients with uncontrolled focal epilepsy.

Brivaracetam as add-on treatment in patients with post-stroke epilepsy: real-world data from the BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk Study (BRIVAFIRST).

OBJECTIVE: Post-stroke epilepsy (PSE) is one of the most common causes of acquired epilepsy and accounts for about 10-15% of all newly diagnosed epilepsy cases. However, evidence about the clinical profile of antiseizure medications in the PSE setting is currently limited. Brivaracetam (BRV) is a rationally developed compound characterized by high-affinity binding to synaptic vesicle protein 2A. The aim of this study was to assess the 12-month effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive BRV in patients with PSE treated in a real-world setting. METHODS: This was a subgroup analysis of patients with PSE included in the BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk Study (BRIVAFIRST). The BRIVAFIRST was a 12-month retrospective, multicentre study including adult patients prescribed adjunctive BRV. Effectiveness outcomes included the rates of seizure response (≥50% reduction in baseline seizure frequency), seizure-freedom, and treatment discontinuation. Safety and tolerability outcomes included the rate of treatment discontinuation due to adverse events (AEs) and the incidence of AEs. RESULTS: Patients with PSE included in the BRIVAFIRST were 75 and had a median age of 57 (interquartile range, 42-66) years. The median daily doses of BRV at 3, 6, and 12 months from starting treatment were 100 (100-150) mg, 125 (100-200) mg and 100 (100-200) mg, respectively. At 12 months, 32 (42.7%) patients had a reduction in their baseline seizure frequency by at least 50%, and the seizure freedom rates was 26/75 (34.7%). During the 1-year study period, 10 (13.3%) patients discontinued BRV. The reasons of treatment withdrawal were insufficient efficacy in 6 (8.0%) patients and poor tolerability in 4 (5.3%) patients. Adverse events were reported by 13 (20.3%) patients and were rated as mild in 84.6% and moderate in 15.4% of cases. SIGNIFICANCE: Adjunctive BRV was efficacious and generally well-tolerated when used in patients with PSE in clinical practice. Adjunctive BRV can be a suitable therapeutic option for patients with PSE.