Eisai Co., Ltd.  announced today that the German Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) has determined no additional benefit for its in-house developed anti-epilepsy drug (AED) Fycompa (perampanel) when compared to conventional AEDs in its assessment for insurance reimbursement. It is deeply regrettable that the G-BA’s conclusion did not appropriately assess the clinical value brought about by the innovative properties of Fycompa or the needs of patients. Eisai will continue to seek an accurate understanding of the value of Fycompa from the G-BA.

Fycompa is a first-in-class antiepileptic drug discovered and developed by Eisai. With epileptic seizures being primarily mediated by the neurotransmitter glutamate, the agent is a highly selective, noncompetitive AMPA receptor antagonist that reduces neuronal hyperexcitation associated with seizures by targeting glutamate activity at postsynaptic AMPA receptors. Fycompa was approved for 27 countries in the EU in July 2012 and has already been launched in nine countries in the region. It is approved in more than 40 countries worldwide including the United States as an adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures (with or without secondary generalized seizures) in patients with epilepsy aged 12 years and older, and has been launched in 15 countries around the world.

For more details, go to: http://www.eisai.com/news/enews201466pdf.pdf