Background
People with drug-resistant epilepsy often need to take several antiseizure medications to control their seizures. Taking multiple medications increases the burden of treatment and the risk of side effects. Cenobamate is a newer antiseizure medication for focal seizures that has shown promising results in people whose seizures have not been adequately controlled with other treatments.
Research
The DECREASE study combined real-world data from cenobamate Early Access Programmes across Europe to investigate people who were able to substantially simplify their epilepsy treatment after starting cenobamate. Around 10% of people treated through these programmes were able to stop all other antiseizure medications or reduce their treatment to cenobamate plus just one other medication. Among this group, approximately one-third became seizure-free, while more than two-thirds experienced at least a 50% reduction in seizure frequency.
Potential Impact
These findings suggest that, for some people with difficult-to-treat focal epilepsy, cenobamate may allow treatment to be simplified while maintaining good seizure control. The study provides real-world evidence to help clinicians consider how other antiseizure medications might be carefully reduced when patients respond well to cenobamate.