Following approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in late 2019, cenobamate (Xcopri) has been utilized to treat adults with focal seizures. Based on its robust efficacy from the phase 2 trials, we began using cenobamate in our adolescent and young adult patients whose seizures were not controlled with previously available options. This study expanded its real-world application to this cohort with focal epilepsy and a history of drug-related rash.

We conducted a retrospective study of our patients exposed to cenobamate (n = 45). We evaluated dosage and serum levels, efficacy, drug interactions, and adverse effects.

After gradually increasing cenobamate to clinical effect using the FDA-approved dosing protocol, 60% (n = 22) of patients were responders. Adolescents were treated with an average daily dose of 204.0 mg, and adults with 223.4 mg cenobamate, and had serum levels of 20.5 μg/mL and 26.7 μg/mL, respectively. The side effect profile observed was similar to that seen in the phase 2/3 registry trials. Importantly, patients with a prior history of rash to other medications or antiseizure medications (n = 5) experienced no rashes related to cenobamate.

This real-world study supports the findings of prior controlled studies regarding the efficacy of cenobamate as a treatment for focal seizures in adolescents and suggests that patients with a history of rash may benefit from this medication.