UCB has announced that the European Commission has approved Vimpat for the treatment of epilepsy in patients 16 years and older. Vimpat holds the potential to improve quality of life for patients across the seven major markets whose seizures remain inadequately controlled with available treatments, and will also help to support UCB’s market leading epilepsy franchise.

The European Commission’s decision to approve Vimpat (lacosamide) for epilepsy was based on data from three multicenter, randomized, placebo controlled Phase III clinical trials involving over 1,300 epilepsy patients.

Regulatory approval of Vimpat makes this the first new epilepsy treatment for partial onset seizures in three years. Key opinion leaders interviewed by Datamonitor concur that the development of effective treatments for patients who suffer from uncontrolled seizures (known as refractory epilepsy) currently represents the most pressing unmet need in the treatment of this disorder.

The approval of Vimpat, plus the presence of several other novel drugs in UCB’s pipeline, demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to epilepsy. The drug will play a role in maintaining UCB’s status as leader in this field following Keppra’s (levetiracetam) patent expiry in January 2009.

Related research: Commercial Insight: Epilepsy – Companies committed to the cause will reap the benefits