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Epilepsy is a common, chronic disabling neurological condition which affects people of all ages. It is characterised by recurrent epileptic seizures, occurring when there is abnormal and/or excessive neuronal activity in the brain.
Of those people diagnosed with epilepsy in the UK, around 30 percent do not respond to initial epilepsy treatments and remain uncontrolled. This group is considered refractory 2 and equates to approximately 60,000 people in the UK.3-9
Refractory epilepsy has a negative impact on the quality of the lives of patients with the disorder. A 2008 review by Jacoby et al10 concluded that having active epilepsy can profoundly affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients with the condition. Refractory epilepsy is also associated with an increased risk of sudden death and significant costs to society and to the healthcare system.11,12
Retigabine is the first in a new class of epilepsy treatments and is currently the only AED to target neuronal potassium channels13 which are involved in inhibitory mechanisms in the brain, and are thought to have a role in seizure control.14-15
The efficacy and safety of retigabine was established in two pivotal multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, fixed dose studies .16-17
The NICE recommendation of retigabine will offer patients and clinicians an additional option for difficult to control epilepsy.
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