Zonegran® (zonisamide) Reimbursed in Switzerland as Monotherapy Treatment for Adults With Newly Diagnosed Partial Epilepsy

Zonegran® (zonisamide) Reimbursed inZonegran® (zonisamide) Reimbursed in Switzerland as Monotherapy Treatment for Adults With Newly Diagnosed Partial Epilepsy PR Newswire HATFIELD, England, January 23, 2014 PRESS RELEASE FOR EUROPEAN MEDIA ONLY NOT FOR U.S. MEDIA Zonegran also receives Swissmedic approval as adjunctive therapy for children and adolescents ®Zonegran (zonisamide) has received reimbursement in Switzerland by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) as monotherapy in the treatment of partial seizures, with or without secondary generalisation, in adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy. The reimbursement for zonisamide follows Swissmedic approval earlier this year. Zonisamide is also now available for the treatment of partial epilepsy in children and adolescents in Switzerland following the paediatric license extension approval by the European Commission in October 2013. Already available in Switzerland as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients over the age of 18, once-daily zonisamide is a second generation anti-epileptic drug (AED) with multiple mechanisms of action and a chemical structure [1]unrelated to any other AEDs. Monotherapy is the favoured approach in managing newly diagnosed epilepsy as most people with epilepsy may be successfully managed with the first or second monotherapy. In comparison with polytherapy, monotherapy also reduces the potential for adverse drug [2]interactions.