Final results of EPOS study of Aptiom (eslicarbazepine acetate) in epilepsy published in Acta Neurologica Scandinavica- Eisai

Final results of the European non-interventional study EPOS show that once-daily Aptiom (eslicarbazepine acetate), from Eisai, can provide a significant decrease in seizure frequency and seizure freedom in many patients, and is well tolerated in clinical settings. The responder rate (proportion of patients with seizure reduction of 50% and above vs. baseline) at six months was 81.8%, with 39.2% of patients reporting seizure freedom. The retention rate after 6 months was high with 82.2%.

Over the 6 month study period, the score of the quality of life inventory QOLIE-10 improved from 2.9 at baseline to 2.1 at study end, on group level. These data were published in Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. EPOS is a non-interventional, multicentre, prospective study with adult patients suffering from partial-onset seizures insufficiently controlled by antiepileptic monotherapy (n=247).

Comment: With more convenient dosing and a purported improved safety profile over Trileptal and Tegretol, Zebinix /Aption (eslicarbazepine acetate) is forecast to become the best-selling pipeline antiepileptic drug. Factoring monotherapy approval and first-line use, epilepsy-specific sales are forecast to top $400 million across the seven major markets by 2019.