Abstracts

Rationale: Lacosamide is a new antiepileptic drug (AED) commercialized as add-on therapy for partial epilepsy in Spain since September 2010. An independent group, called RELACOVA, was created to collect the experiences with this new drug in clinical practice. Methods: The group has been constituted by neurologists/epileptologists from different general hospitals and epilepsy Units in the Valencian Community (Spain). Data from patients were prospectively collected according to clinical practice. All the patients in which lacosamide was introduced according to the clinician criteria were included. A database was created to collect the information at the day of introduction of the drug, at 3 months, at 6 months and at 12 months. These data included age, gender, epilepsy and seizure type, number of seizures per month, lacosamide dosage, concomitant and prior AEDs, efficacy and side effects. Results: So far, one hundred and forty-nine patients have been included in the follow-up, ninety-one percent of wich were refractory. One hundred patients have been followed for 3 months and thirty-seven patients for 6 months. The efficacy analysis at 3 months has showed 58% of responders (? 50% seizure reduction) (21% of them were seizure-free) and at 6-months the rate of responders was 27% patients (8% seizure free). Dizziness was the most frequent adverse event. Six percent of patients discontinued the medication because of side-effects at 3-months and none at 6 months. Concomitant AEDs were reduced in 18% of patients. Conclusions: The preliminary results of lacosamide in clinical practice (in a refractory epilepsy population) have shown promising efficacy data and few side effects, severe enough to discontinue only in 6% of patients. A longer follow-up and the collection of more patients are required to support the results.