Iracet-IV 500 Injection

Indications

Levetiracetam is indicated as monotherapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in adults and adolescents from 16 years of age with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Levetiracetam is indicated as adjunctive therapy-

• in the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization in adults, adolescents, children and infants from 1 month of age with epilepsy.
• in the treatment of myoclonic seizures in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy.
• in the treatment of primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age with Idiopathic Generalised Epilepsy.

Dosage & Administration

Adults and adolescents from 16 years of age: The recommended starting dose is 250 mg twice daily which should be increased to an initial therapeutic dose of 500 mg twice daily after two weeks. The dose can be further increased by 250 mg twice daily every two weeks depending upon the clinical response. The maximum dose is 1500 mg twice daily.

Adults (≥18 years) and adolescents (12 to 17 years) weighing 50 kg or more: The initial therapeutic dose is 500 mg twice daily. This dose can be started on the first day of treatment. Depending upon the clinical response and tolerability, the daily dose can be increased up to 1,500 mg twice daily. Dose changes can be made in 500 mg twice daily increases or decrease every two to four weeks.Pediatric population: The tablet formulation is not adapted for use in infants and children under the age of 6 years. Oral solution is the preferred formulation for use in this population. In addition, the available dose strengths of the tablets are not appropriate for initial treatment in children weighing less than 25 kg, for patients unable to swallow tablets or for the administration of doses below 250 mg. In all of the above cases, oral solution should be used.

 

• Monotherapy: The safety and efficacy of levetiracetam in children and adolescents below 16 years as monotherapy treatment have not been established.
• Add-on therapy: Oral solution is the preferred formulation for use in infants and children under the age of 6 years. For children 6 years and above, oral solution should be used for doses under 250 mg, for doses not in multiples of 250 mg when dosing recommendation is not achievable by taking multiple tablets and for patients unable to swallow tablets. The lowest effective dose should be used. The starting dose for a child or adolescent of 25 kg should be 250 mg twice daily with a maximum dose of 750 mg twice daily. Dosing for children 50 kg or greater is the same as in adults.
• Add-on therapy: For infants aged from 1 month to less than 6 months: The oral solution is the formulation to use in infants.

Interaction

Antiepileptic medicinal products: Pre-marketing data from clinical studies conducted in adults indicate that levetiracetam did not influence the serum concentrations of existing antiepileptic medicinal products (phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, phenobarbital, lamotrigine, gabapentin and primidone) and that these antiepileptic medicinal products did not influence the pharmacokinetics of levetiracetam.

Contraindications

Hypersensitivity to the active substance or other pyrrolidone derivatives or to any of the excipients.

Side Effect

Most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 5% more than placebo) include:

• Adult patients: somnolence, asthenia, infection and dizziness
• Pediatric patients: fatigue, aggression, nasal congestion, decreased appetite, and irritability

Pregnancy & Lactation

Levetiracetam is not recommended during pregnancy and in women of childbearing potential not using contraception unless clinically necessary. Levetiracetam is excreted in human breast milk. Therefore, breastfeeding is not recommended. However, if levetiracetam treatment is needed during breastfeeding, the benefit/risk of the treatment should be weighed considering the importance of breastfeeding. No impact on fertility was detected in animal studies. No clinical data are available, the potential risk for humans is unknown.

Precautions & Warnings

Adjunct anti-epileptic drugs

Therapeutic Class

Aural steroid & antibiotic combined preparations, Ophthalmic Non-Steroid drugs, Ophthalmic Steroid preparations

Storage Conditions

Store below 30° C in a cold, dry, and light-protected location. Keep out of children's reach.