Novartis Pharmaceuticals has launched oxcarbazepine, a new anti-epileptic drug for the treatment of partial seizures with or without secondarily generalised tonic-clonic seizures.
The drug is the 10-keto analogue of carbamazepine and is indicated for use as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy (see p418). Novartis Pharmaceuticals says that although oxcarbazepine is more expensive than carbamazepine, it is better tolerated.
Martindale (32nd edition) says that oxcarbazepine may be a useful alternative in patients unable to tolerate carbamazepine. It says that the efficacy of oxcarbazepine appears to be similar to that of carbamazepine while it may have a lower propensity to produce adverse effects on the central nervous system and allergic reactions, although hyponatraemia is likely to be troublesome. Further comparing the two anti-epileptics, Martindale says that oxcarbazepine appears to induce hepatic enzymes to a lesser extent than carbamazepine and may therefore produce fewer interactions.