Cenobamate Monotherapy for Focal Epilepsy: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Cenobamate is an FDA-approved antiseizure medication (ASM) for adjunctive focal epilepsy therapy.
• Limited data exist on cenobamate's efficacy as a standalone monotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of cenobamate monotherapy in focal epilepsy.
• To evaluate seizure reduction and freedom rates in patients transitioned to cenobamate monotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, single-center study of 45 patients on cenobamate monotherapy (≥150 mg/day) for >6 months.
• Efficacy assessed by seizure freedom and frequency reduction; safety by adverse events.

Main Results:

• Mean seizure frequency decreased from 4.3 to 0.7 per month.
• Responder rate (≥50% reduction) was 77%; 55% achieved seizure freedom over 12 months.
• Cenobamate was well-tolerated.

Conclusions:

• Cenobamate monotherapy significantly reduces seizure frequency and achieves high seizure freedom rates in focal epilepsy.
• It is a promising alternative for patients with refractory focal epilepsy.