Few Surveyed U.S. and European Neurologists Report High Satisfaction with the Efficacy of Antiepileptic Drugs Approved or Commonly Prescribed to Treat Seizures Associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

BURLINGTON, Mass., June 30, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources Group finds that a majority of surveyed neurologists in the United States and Europe report only moderate satisfaction with the efficacy of approved or commonly prescribed therapies for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS)—a rare, severe, pediatric-onset epilepsy condition. The mean satisfaction score for efficacy was the lowest out of four attributes tested in both regions, consistent with the observation that current antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are effective in reducing seizure frequency, but generally fall short of attaining complete seizure control in LGS patients. One out of five surveyed European neurologists indicated low satisfaction with the efficacy of current AEDs.

Other key findings from the Unmet Need solution entitled Epilepsy I Unmet Need I US/EU: Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome:

• Surveyed U.S. and European neurologists ascribed a therapy's reduction in drop seizure frequency the highest mean importance to their prescribing decisions for LGS across eight efficacy, safety and tolerability, convenience of administration, and nonclinical attributes tested.
• More than half of U.S. and European respondents perceive a high level of unmet need for therapies offering a greater reduction in total seizure frequency, consistent with the need for more AEDs with broad-spectrum efficacy in treating generalized seizures associated with LGS.
• More than one-third of U.S. respondents perceive patients' out-of-pocket costs to be highly important to their prescribing choice in LGS.
• In a conjoint analysis, price per day had a similar influence on the attractiveness of simulated target product profiles as a reduction in total seizure frequency, suggesting that respondents in both regions exhibit a degree of cost sensitivity in the management of this severe epilepsy condition.

Comments from Decision Resources Group Analyst John Crowley, Ph.D.:

• "A large regional difference was observed in respondents' mean overall performance score for clobazam. Neurologists in the United States, where Lundbeck has marketed the drug (Onfi) since early 2012, scored the drug highest among seven tested AEDs used in the treatment of LGS. However, surveyed European neurologists, who generally have had decades of access to clobazam, scored it lowest among queried agents—instead perceiving Eisai's Banzel/Inovelon to be the top performer. U.S. neurologists' preference for clobazam in LGS was echoed in a separate DRG survey featured in our 2016 Epilepsy I Current Treatment I US content."
• "The LGS pipeline is active as developers seek to capitalize on the pressing unmet need in this area. A Phase III LGS trial for GW Pharmaceuticals' Epidiolex will read out in mid-2016; positive top-line Phase III data for Epidiolex in Dravet syndrome were released in March. There are also planned mid- or late-phase trials with agents from Zogenix and Insys Therapeutics."

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