Rufinamide efficacy and safety as adjunctive treatment in children with focal drug resistant epilepsy: the first Italian prospective study

Abstract

Rufinamide is a new antiepileptic drug approved as add-on treatment in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome from the age of 4 years, and for the treatment of focal seizures in adults and adolescents. The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of add-on Rufinamide in the treatment of childhood focal drug resistant epilepsy. We recruited 70 patients for a prospective, add-on, open-label study. Inclusion criteria were: 3 years of age or more; focal drug resistant epilepsy despite the use of three previous AEDs; use of at least one other AED, but no more than three at baseline; more than one seizure per month in the previous 6 months. Rufinamide efficacy was observed up to 12 months of follow-up, with a total responder rate of 38.57%. We found the best results in focal epilepsies due to structural/metabolic etiology (42.6%). The responder rate was similar for focal seizures with secondary generalization, simple focal seizures other than myoclonic jerks, and complex partial seizures. Response to Rufinamide was not related to the age. Our experience suggests that Rufinamide can be effective in reducing focal seizure frequency in children with drug resistant epilepsy, and that it can be considered as a safe drug.