EARLY-ESLI study: Long-term experience with eslicarbazepine acetate after first monotherapy failure

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

• Focal epilepsy management often requires treatment adjustments after initial monotherapy failure.
• Identifying effective and well-tolerated antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) is crucial for improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the real-world effectiveness and tolerability of eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) in focal epilepsy patients who failed first-line monotherapy.
• To assess the retention rate and seizure control achieved with ESL in this patient population.

Main Methods:

• A multicentre, retrospective, 1-year observational study.
• Included patients over 18 years with focal epilepsy who failed first AED monotherapy and received ESL.
• Data analyzed at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months for effectiveness and tolerability.

Main Results:

• Eslicarbazepine acetate was initiated in 253 patients with a 92.9% 1-year retention rate.
• At 12 months, 62.3% achieved 6-month seizure freedom, and 37.3% achieved 1-year seizure freedom.
• 31.6% reported ESL-related adverse events (AEs), with 3.6% discontinuing due to AEs; 54.2% converted to ESL monotherapy.

Conclusions:

• Eslicarbazepine acetate demonstrated optimal seizure control and tolerability in focal epilepsy patients post-first monotherapy failure.
• Successful conversion to ESL monotherapy was achieved in over half of the patients, indicating its utility in clinical practice.