Anti-epileptic drug brivaracetam is now available for children in Wales

Children aged four years and older in Wales will have access to the anti-epileptic drug brivaracetam as a new treatment option.

Pharmaceutical company UCB reported on 3 January 2019 that the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG) have announced the license extension for the drug

This will be an adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation for use by NHS Wales.

Previously, brivaracetam was only available in Wales for patients aged 16 and older. The extended license provides an additional treatment option for children aged four to 16 with uncontrolled epilepsy.

Kate Trenam, Patient Advocacy Lead UK and Ireland at UCB, said: "We believe that the license extension of brivaracetam marks an important step forward for the management of paediatric epilepsy in Wales. Hopefully, this access to brivaracetam will lead to more children in Wales being able to control their seizures".