Brivaracetam Drug Information

Brivaracetam tablets are indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older.

Dosage Information Monotherapy or Adjunctive Therapy

The recommended dosage for patients 1 month of age and older is included in Table 1. In pediatric patients weighing less than 50 kg, the recommended dosing regimen is dependent upon body weight. When initiating treatment, gradual dose escalation is not required.

Dosage should be adjusted based on clinical response and tolerability.

Administration Instructions for Brivaracetam Tablets

Brivaracetam tablets can be initiated with oral administration. Brivaracetam tablets may be taken with or without food. Brivaracetam Tablets Brivaracetam tablets should be swallowed whole with liquid.

Brivaracetam tablets should not be chewed or crushed.

Discontinuation of Brivaracetam Tablets

Avoid abrupt withdrawal from brivaracetam tablets in order to minimize the risk of increased seizure frequency and status epilepticus.

Patients with Hepatic Impairment

The recommended dosage for patients with hepatic impairment is included in Table 2.

Co-administration with Rifampin Increase the brivaracetam tablets dosage in patients on concomitant rifampin by up to 100% (i.e., double the dosage).

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. In all controlled and uncontrolled trials performed in adult epilepsy patients, brivaracetam was administered as adjunctive therapy to 2437 patients. The adverse reactions presented in Table 4 are based on this safety population; the median length of treatment in these studies was 12 weeks.

Of the patients in those studies, approximately 51% were male, 74% were Caucasian, and the mean age was 38 years. In the Phase 3 controlled epilepsy studies, adverse events occurred in 68% of patients treated with brivaracetam and 62% treated with placebo. Table 4 lists adverse reactions for brivaracetam that occurred at least 2% more frequently for brivaracetam doses of at least 50 mg/day than placebo.

There was no apparent dose-dependent increase in adverse reactions listed in Table 4 with the exception of somnolence and sedation. Pediatric Patients Safety of brivaracetam was evaluated in two open-label, safety and pharmacokinetic trials in pediatric patients 2 months to less than 16 years of age. Across studies of pediatric patients with partial onset seizures, 186 patients received brivaracetam oral solution or tablet, of whom 123 received brivaracetam for at least 12 months.

Adverse reactions reported in clinical studies of pediatric patients were generally similar to those seen in adult patients. Decreased appetite was also observed in these pediatric trials. Hematologic Abnormalities Brivaracetam can cause hematologic abnormalities.

Comparison by Sex There were no significant differences by sex in the incidence of adverse reactions.

Postmarketing Experience

The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of brivaracetam. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders: Serious dermatologic reactions (e.g., Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis)

Rifampin Co-administration with rifampin decreases brivaracetam plasma concentrations likely because of CYP2C19 induction. Prescribers should increase the brivaracetam dose by up to 100% (i.e., double the dosage) in patients while receiving concomitant treatment with rifampin.

Carbamazepine Co-administration with carbamazepine may increase exposure to carbamazepine-epoxide, the active metabolite of carbamazepine. Though available data did not reveal any safety concerns, if tolerability issues arise when co-administered, carbamazepine dose reduction should be considered.

Phenytoin

Because brivaracetam can increase plasma concentrations of phenytoin, phenytoin levels should be monitored in patients when concomitant brivaracetam is added to or discontinued from ongoing phenytoin therapy.

Levetiracetam

Brivaracetam provided no added therapeutic benefit to levetiracetam when the two drugs were co-administered.

Pregnancy Pregnancy Exposure Registry There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), such as brivaracetam, during pregnancy. Encourage patients who are taking brivaracetam during pregnancy to enroll in the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry by calling the toll free number 1-888-233-2334 or visiting http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org/. Risk Summary Available data from the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) pregnancy registry, a prospective cohort study, case reports, and a case series are insufficient to identify a risk of major birth defects, miscarriage or other maternal or fetal outcomes associated with brivaracetam use during pregnancy.

In animal studies, brivaracetam produced evidence of developmental toxicity (increased embryofetal mortality and decreased fetal body weights in rabbits; decreased growth, delayed sexual maturation, and long-term neurobehavioral changes in rat offspring) at maternal plasma exposures greater than clinical exposures. The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defect, loss, or other adverse outcomes.

In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2-4% and 15-20%, respectively. Data Animal Data Oral administration of brivaracetam mg/kg/day to pregnant rats during the period of organogenesis did not produce any significant maternal or embryofetal toxicity. The highest dose tested was associated with maternal plasma exposures (AUC) approximately 30 times exposures in humans at the maximum recommended dose (MRD) of 200 mg/day.

Oral administration of brivaracetam mg/kg/day to pregnant rabbits during the period of organogenesis resulted in embryofetal mortality and decreased fetal body weights at the highest dose tested, which was also maternally toxic. The highest no-effect dose (120 mg/kg/day) was associated with maternal plasma exposures approximately 4 times human exposures at the MRD. When brivaracetam mg/kg/day was orally administered to rats throughout pregnancy and lactation, decreased growth, delayed sexual maturation (female), and long-term neurobehavioral changes were observed in the offspring at the highest dose.

Brivaracetam was shown to readily cross the placenta in pregnant rats after a single oral (5 mg/kg) dose of 14 C-brivaracetam. From 1 hour post dose, radioactivity levels in fetuses, amniotic fluid, and placenta were similar to those measured in maternal blood.

Pediatric Use Safety and effectiveness of brivaracetam have been established in pediatric patients 1 month to less than 16 years of age. Use of brivaracetam in these age groups is supported by evidence from adequate and well-controlled studies of brivaracetam in adults with partial-onset seizures, pharmacokinetic data from adult and pediatric patients, and safety data in pediatric patients 2 months to less than 16 years of age. Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients below the age of 1 month have not been established.

Juvenile Animal Toxicity Data The potential adverse effects of brivaracetam on postnatal growth and development were investigated in juvenile rats and dogs. Oral administration mg/kg/day to rats during the neonatal and juvenile periods of development (approximately equivalent to neonatal through adolescent development in humans) resulted in increased mortality, decreased body weight gain, delayed male sexual maturation, and adverse neurobehavioral effects at the highest dose tested and decreased brain size and weight at all doses. Therefore, a no-effect dose was not established; the lowest dose tested in juvenile rats was associated with plasma exposures (AUC) approximately 2 times those in children and adolescents at the recommended maintenance dose.

In dogs, oral administration mg/kg/day throughout the neonatal and juvenile periods of development induced liver changes similar to those observed in adult animals at the highest dose but produced no adverse effects on growth, bone density or strength, neurological testing, or neuropathology evaluation. The overall no-effect dose (30 mg/kg/day) and the no-effect dose for adverse effects on developmental parameters (100 mg/kg/day) were associated with plasma exposures approximately equal to and 4 times, respectively, those in children and adolescents at the recommended maintenance dose.

Hypersensitivity to brivaracetam or any of the inactive ingredients in brivaracetam tablets (bronchospasm and angioedema have occurred).

There is limited clinical experience with brivaracetam overdose in humans. Somnolence and dizziness were reported in a patient taking a single dose of 1400 mg (14 times the highest recommended single dose) of brivaracetam. The following adverse reactions were reported with brivaracetam overdose: vertigo, balance disorder, fatigue, nausea, diplopia, anxiety, and bradycardia.

In general, the adverse reactions associated with brivaracetam overdose were consistent with the known adverse reactions. There is no specific antidote for overdose with brivaracetam. In the event of overdose, standard medical practice for the management of any overdose should be used.

An adequate airway, oxygenation, and ventilation should be ensured; monitoring of cardiac rate and rhythm and vital signs is recommended. A certified poison control center should be contacted for updated information on the management of overdose with brivaracetam. There are no data on the removal of brivaracetam using hemodialysis, but because less than 10% of brivaracetam is excreted in urine, hemodialysis is not expected to enhance brivaracetam clearance.