Efficacy and safety of lamotrigine in pediatric patients

Accumulating data suggest that lamotrigine, which has been available for adult use in epilepsy for more than a decade in clinical practice, also confers effective, well-tolerated control of a range of childhood epilepsies. Lamotrigine is currently approved for the treatment of epilepsy by regulatory authorities in 93 countries, more than 70 of which have approved its use in pediatric patients on the basis of data from well-controlled clinical trials. The controlled clinical trials data have been supplemented over the years by clinical practice data, primarily from uncontrolled studies, confirming or demonstrating additional efficacy of lamotrigine for a range of seizure types. This article reviews the data from well-controlled clinical trials and studies conducted in clinical practice to present an updated perspective on the efficacy and safety of lamotrigine in pediatric patients.