Journal article
The efficacy of the newer antiepileptic drugs in controlling seizures in pregnancy
Frank JE Vajda, Terrence O'Brien, Cecilie Lander, Janet Graham, Mervyn Eadie
EPILEPSIA | WILEY | Published : 2014
DOI: 10.1111/epi.12711
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of the newer antiepileptic drugs (AEDs)-in particular lamotrigine, topiramate, and levetiracetam-in controlling epileptic seizures in pregnant women. METHODS: Analysis of data in the Australian Register of Antiepileptic Drugs in Pregnancy concerning seizure control in 1,534 pregnancies in women with AED-treated epilepsies. RESULTS: In AED monotherapy (1,111 pregnancies), use of levetiracetam in pregnancies in the Australian Register was associated with levels of seizure control similar to those that applied for the major older AEDs carbamazepine and valproate, but with levels of seizure control superior to those associated with use of lamotrigine and t..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We wish to acknowledge the help of our medical and nonmedical colleagues, both in referring patients and in increasing patient awareness of the Register. We thank the Scientific Advisory Board and the Ethical Research Committees of St. Vincent's Hospital, Monash Medical Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and other institutions for their ethics assessments of the study. The Australian Register is grateful for support from the Epilepsy Society of Australia, The Royal Melbourne Hospital Neuroscience Foundation, The Victorian Epilepsy Foundation, Epilepsy Australia, and also for financial support from a number of pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi-Aventis, UCB Pharma, Janssen-Cilag, Novartis, and Sci-Gen, from the Victorian Epilepsy Foundation, and from a National Health and Medical Research Council linkage grant.