BIA 2-093

Although epilepsy is a neurological disorder with varying etiology and severity, the common feature is unprovoked, recurring seizures. Even when traditional AEDs, such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and valproate, control seizure activity, their effectiveness is hampered by considerable side effects and the tendency for drug-drug interactions. Designed for improved efficacy and safety, eslicarbazepine acetate is a third-generation AED that has been approved as adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization. As a member of the carbamazepine family (first generation), it is the prodrug of eslicarbazepine and the active metabolite of oxcarbazepine (second generation). .

White to Off-White Solid

ChEBI: The acetate ester, with S configuration, of licarbazepine. An anticonvulsant, it is approved for use in Europe and the United States as an adjunctive therapy for epilepsy.

The most common adverse events occurring with an incidence of >2% were dizziness, somnolence, nausea, diplopia, headache, vomiting, abnormal coordination, blurred vision, vertigo, and fatigue. While most of these side effects appeared to be mild to moderate, they did display a dose dependency. Although eslicarbazepine acetate is only contraindicated in patients with a known hypersensitivity to the carbamazepine family of AEDs, caution should be exercised in patients with cardiac conduction abnormalities (potential for prolongations in PR intervals), renal impairment, and in patients of Han Chinese and Thai origin since the presence of HLA-B*1502 allele in these individuals has been shown to be strongly associated with the risk of developing Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Regarding drug interactions, eslicarbazepine acetate may decrease the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives, so alternative or additional methods of contraception should be considered.