Epileptologists and general neurologists have different approaches to treating people with refractory epilepsy, according to the Market Dynamix: Adult Refractory Epilepsy (US) study conducted by Spherix Global Insights (Exton, PA). Researchers found that general neurologists treat approximately 25% of people with epilepsy who have developed refractory epilepsy, constituting a significant proportion of the overall patient population. While general neurologists and epileptologists tend to prescribe the same types of drugs for new-onset seizures, general neurologists are more likely to introduce additional medications when initial treatments fail to control seizures, while epileptologists are more likely to use dose titrations to maximize dosing of the initial medication.
According to the Spherix Global Insights:
- >50% of general neurologists delay referring their patients to an epileptologist until the patients have “clearly uncontrolled” seizures.
- None of the general neurologists surveyed stated that they would refer a patient to an epileptologist after the first medication failed to stop seizures.
- Only one-third of patients with refractory epilepsy seeing a general neurologist receive ongoing management at comprehensive epilepsy centers.
- Two-thirds of epileptologists’ patients who are referred for seizure management remain under their care indefinitely.
- General neurologists are typically less informed about the latest therapies and those in development for refractory partial and generalized epilepsy as compared with epileptologists.
- Epileptologists give higher favorability ratings to newer therapies such as Xcopri (cenobamate tablet; SK Life Science, Paramus, NJ), and show greater enthusiasm for pipeline therapies such as staccato alprazolam (UCB, Atlanta, Georgia), XEN1101 (Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Barnaby, British Columbia, Canada), and bexicaserin (Longboard Pharmaceuticals, La Jolla, CA).
