Felbamate

Felbamate

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Questions & Answers

Side Effects & Adverse Reactions

See Boxed Warning regarding aplastic anemia and hepatic failure.

Antiepileptic drugs should not be suddenly discontinued because of the possibility of increasing seizure frequency.

Suicidal Behavior and Ideation

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) including felbamate, increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in patients taking these drugs for any indication. Patients treated with any AED for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behavior.

Pooled analyses of 199 placebo-controlled clinical trials (mono- and adjunctive therapy) of 11 different AEDs showed that patients randomized to one of the AEDs had approximately twice the risk (adjusted Relative Risk 1.8, 95% CI:1.2, 2.7) of suicidal thinking or behavior compared to patients randomized to placebo. In these trials, which had a median treatment duration of 12 weeks, the estimated incidence rate of suicidal behavior or ideation among 27,863 AED-treated patients was 0.43%, compared to 0.24% among 16,029 placebo-treated patients, representing an increase of approximately one case of suicidal thinking or behavior for every 530 patients treated. There were four suicides in drug-treated patients in the trials and none in placebo-treated patients, but the number is too small to allow any conclusion about drug effect on suicide.

The increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior with AEDs was observed as early as one week after starting drug treatment with AEDs and persisted for the duration of treatment assessed. Because most trials included in the analysis did not extend beyond 24 weeks, the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior beyond 24 weeks could not be assessed.

The risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior was generally consistent among drugs in the data analyzed. The finding of increased risk with AEDs of varying mechanisms of action and across a range of indications suggests that the risk applies to all AEDs used for any indication. The risk did not vary substantially by age (5 to 100 years) in the clinical trials analyzed.

Table 1 shows absolute and relative risk by indication for all evaluated AEDs.

 Table 1 Risk by Indication for Antiepileptic Drugs in the Pooled Analysis
 Indication  Placebo Patientswith Events Per 1000 Patients  Drug Patients with Events Per1000 Patients  Relative Risk:Incidence ofEvents in DrugPatients/Incidencein Placebo Patients  Risk Difference:Additional DrugPatients withEvents Per 1000Patients
 Epilepsy  1  3.4  3.5  2.4
 Psychiatric  5.7  8.5  1.5  2.9
 Other  1  1.8  1.9  0.9
 Total  2.4  4.3  1.8  1.9

The relative risk for suicidal thoughts or behavior was higher in clinical trials for epilepsy than in clinical trials for psychiatric or other conditions, but the absolute risk differences were similar for the epilepsy and psychiatric indications.

Anyone considering prescribing felbamate or any other AED must balance the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior with the risk of untreated illness. Epilepsy and many other illnesses for which AEDs are prescribed are themselves associated with morbidity and mortality and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Should suicidal thoughts and behavior emerge during treatment, the prescriber needs to consider whether the emergence of these symptoms in any given patient may be related to the illness being treated.

Patients, their caregivers, and families should be informed that AEDs increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior and should be advised of the need to be alert for the emergence or worsening of the signs and symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or the emergence of suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self-harm. Behaviors of concern should be reported immediately to healthcare providers.

Legal Issues

There is currently no legal information available for this drug.

FDA Safety Alerts

There are currently no FDA safety alerts available for this drug.

Manufacturer Warnings

There is currently no manufacturer warning information available for this drug.

FDA Labeling Changes

There are currently no FDA labeling changes available for this drug.

Uses

Felbamate tablets, USP are not indicated as a first line antiepileptic treatment (see Warnings). Felbamate tablets, USP are recommended for use only in those patients who respond inadequately to alternative treatments and whose epilepsy is so severe that a substantial risk of aplastic anemia and/or liver failure is deemed acceptable in light of the benefits conferred by its use.

If these criteria are met and the patient has been fully advised of the risk, and has provided written acknowledgment, felbamate tablets, USP can be considered for either monotherapy or adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures, with and without generalization, in adults with epilepsy and as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial and generalized seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in children.

History

There is currently no drug history available for this drug.

Other Information

Felbamate, USP is an antiepileptic available as 400 mg and 600 mg tablets for oral administration. Its chemical name is 2-phenyl-1,3-propanediol dicarbamate.

Felbamate, USP is a white to off-white crystalline powder with a characteristic odor. It is very slightly soluble in water, slightly soluble in ethanol, sparingly soluble in methanol, and freely soluble in dimethyl sulfoxide. The molecular weight is 238.24; felbamate's molecular formula is C11H14N2O4; its structural formula is:

95dbc5f9-figure-01

The inactive ingredients for felbamate tablets, USP 400 mg and 600 mg are croscarmellose sodium, FD&C Yellow No. 6, D&C Yellow No. 10 and FD&C Red No. 40 (600 mg tablets only), lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose and pregelatinized starch.

Felbamate Manufacturers


  • Amneal Pharmaceuticals
    Felbamate Tablet [Amneal Pharmaceuticals]
  • Wallace Pharmaceuticals Inc.
    Felbamate Tablet Felbamate Suspension [Wallace Pharmaceuticals Inc.]
  • Carilion Materials Management
    Felbamate Tablet [Carilion Materials Management]
  • Marlex Pharmaceuticals Inc
    Felbamate Tablet [Marlex Pharmaceuticals Inc]

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