Clinical perspectives on lacosamide.

Despite the advent of new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) over the past 15 years, the treatment of uncontrolled partial-onset seizures remains a dilemma for clinicians. The most recent AEDs offer new mechanisms of action and more favorable safety profiles than the first generation of AEDs. Lacosamide (LCM) is the latest AED awaiting approval by the FDA for adjunctive use in partial-onset seizures. It differs from all other approved AEDs in that it has two novel mechanisms of action and favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles. The purposes of this article are to present the significant parameters for its use in clinical practice, by summarizing the preliminary results of phase II and III clinical trials, and to compare its efficacy data with other second-generation AEDs.