Quantitative analysis of the causes of termination of pharmaceutical remission lasting more than one year was undertaken in 220 adult patients with epilepsy. The most frequent cause of loss of seizure control was switching from an original proprietary medicine to a generic analog (60.4 %); a total of 28.2 % of patients had been switched to generic topiramate. Comparative analysis of the results of switching of 160 patients form the original form of topiramate (Topamax) to its generics was performed. The control group consisted of 52 patients continuing the original formulation. Switching led to loss of remission in 75.6 % of patients, with status epilepticus in 3.75 % and emergency care or hospitalization were required in 51.9 % of patients. Switching back to the original formulation was performed in 86.2 % of patients, after which the initial doses of Topamax were increased in 58.0 %, 60.0 % of patients transferred from monotherapy to polytherapy, and baseline levels of seizure control were achieved in only 32.9 % of patients.
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Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 111, No. 3, pp. 38–43, March, 2011.
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Rudakova, I.G., Kotov, A.S. & Belova, Y.A. Use of Generic Medicines in the Treatment of Epilepsy Using Topiramate as an Example. Neurosci Behav Physi 42, 550–555 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-012-9599-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11055-012-9599-6