Eisai’s Fycompa now available for PGTC seizures in UK

Eisai has announced the UK launch of Fycompa as a treatment for primary generalised tonic-clonic (PGTC) seizures in adults and adolescents with idiopathic generalised epilepsy.

The drug is the first new therapy for this condition to be made available in five years. It works by selectively targeting the initiation and spread of seizures through the inhibition of AMPA receptors, a protein in the brain which plays a critical role in the spread of seizures.

Clinical studies have shown that a substantially greater proportion of Fycompa patients experience reductions in seizure frequency over 28 days compared to placebo.

Moreover, 31 percent of patients were seizure-free during the 13-week maintenance period when treated with Fycompa as an adjunctive therapy, compared to 12 percent in the placebo group.

Mike Bee, business unit director for Eisai in the UK and Ireland, said this "ensures that people will be able to access a new first-in-class treatment option to significantly improve seizure control for people aged 12 years and above living with idiopathic generalised epilepsy".

This comes after the firm launched its new thyroid cancer drug Lenvima in the UK last month.