First-in-class Epilepsy Treatment Fycompa® (perampanel) Launches in Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

HATFIELD, England, January 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Fycompa^® (perampanel) is now licensed for adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures, with or without secondarily generalised seizures in Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.^[1],[2],[3] Additionally, it is indicated in the United Arab Emirates for the adjunctive treatment of primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures in patients with idiopathic generalised epilepsy (IGE) aged 12 years and older. Perampanel was discovered and developed by Eisai and is available in these countries through a partnership with Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC.

Perampanel is the only licensed anti-epileptic drug to selectively, non-competitively, target AMPA^[*] receptors, a type of receptor that plays a critical role in the onset and spread of seizures.^[4]

An estimated 724,000 people in the Arab world currently live with epilepsy,^[5] and between 20-40 per cent of people with newly-diagnosed epilepsy can become refractory to available treatments, requiring further adjunctive medication.^[6]

"Many patients need multiple anti-epileptic drugs to achieve optimal seizure control. The availability of a new treatment option will be welcomed by healthcare professionals and by people living with epilepsy alike," comments Bernhard J Steinhoff, Primary Investigator for perampanel and Professor, Medical Director and Executive Chief Physician, Kork Epilepsy Centre, Germany.

"We are delighted to be working with Eisai to enable access for this first-in-class anti-epilepsy drug in Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which aligns with our focus on delivering high-quality medicines to patients," says Mazen Darwazeh, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of MENA and Emerging Markets, Hikma.

"Eisai is committed to the therapeutic area of neurology and to addressing the unmet medical needs of people with neurological conditions and their families. Ensuring access for patients to novel treatments underlines Eisai's human health care (hhc) mission, the company's commitment to innovative solutions in disease prevention, cure and care for the health and wellbeing of people worldwide," explains Neil West, Vice President, Global Neurology Business Group, Eisai EMEA.

Notes to Editors 

About Fycompa^® (perampanel)  

Perampanel is a first-in-class, non-competitive AMPA (alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid) glutamate receptor antagonist on post-synaptic neurons.^[1] AMPA receptors, widely present in almost all excitatory neurons, transmit signals stimulated by the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate within the brain, and are believed to play a role in central nervous system diseases characterised by excess neuroexcitatory signalling, including epilepsy.^[7] Since launch, approximately 52,000 people living with epilepsy have been treated with perampanel.^[8]

About Epilepsy  

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions in the world, affecting approximately six million people in Europe, and an estimated 50 million people worldwide.^[9] Epilepsy is a chronic disorder of the brain that affects people of all ages. It is characterised by abnormal discharges of neuronal activity which causes seizures. Seizures can vary in nature and severity, from brief lapses of attention or jerking of muscles, to severe and prolonged convulsions. Depending on the seizure type, seizures may be limited to one part of the body, or may involve the whole body. Seizures can also vary in frequency from less than one per year, to several per day. Epilepsy has many possible causes but often the cause is unknown.

About Eisai EMEA in Epilepsy 

Eisai is committed to developing and delivering highly beneficial new treatments to help improve the lives of people with epilepsy. The development of anti-epileptic drugs is a major strategic area for Eisai in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and Oceania (EMEA).

About Eisai Co Ltd 

Eisai Co Ltd is a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. We define our corporate mission as "giving first thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits health care provides," which we call our human health care (hhc) philosophy. With over 10,000 employees working across our global network of R&D facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, we strive to realise our hhc philosophy by delivering innovative products in multiple therapeutic areas with high unmet medical needs, including Oncology and Neurology. 

For more information about Eisai Co., Ltd., please visit http://www.eisai.com

* AMPA=alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate

References 

1.  Fycompa Product Summary of Characteristics. Jordan.   

2.  Fycompa Product Summary of Characteristics. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  

3.  Fycompa Product Summary of Characteristics. United Arab Emirates.  

4.  Rogawski MA. Revisiting AMPA receptors as an antiepileptic drug target. Epilepsy Currents 2011;11:56-63 

5.  Benamer, H. T. S. and Grosset, D. G. (2009), A systematic review of the epidemiology of epilepsy in Arab countries. Epilepsia, 50: 2301-2304. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02058. 

6.  French JA. Refractory Epilepsy; Clinical Overview. Epilepsia 2007: 48 (Suppl1) 3-7 

7.  Lee K et al. AMPA Receptors as Therapeutic Targets for Neurological Disorders. Adv Protein Chem Struct Biol.          
2016;103:203-261 

8.  Eisai. Data on File 2016. DOF PER112 

9.  Epilepsy in the WHO European Region: Fostering Epilepsy Care in Europe. Available at: http://www.ibe-epilepsy.org/downloads/EURO%20Report%20160510.pdf  [http://www.ibe-epilepsy.org/downloads/EURO Report 160510.pdf] Accessed November 2016 

December 2016
Fycompa-EU0196