European Commission approves the use of UCB's Keppra (levetiracetam) as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of myoclonic seizures in adults and adolescents from 12 years of age with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME). Keppra is the first and only newer anti epileptic drug approved in Europe for the treatment of myoclonic seizures in JME.

"Keppra has over one million patient years' experience and continues to help many people with partial-onset seizures. This new indication supports Keppra's established efficacy and we are pleased that Keppra is now available to patients with myoclonic seizures in JME," said Troy Cox, president CNS operations, UCB.

JME is a common epilepsy syndrome that usually starts between the ages of 12 and 18 and accounts for about 10% of all cases of epilepsy. It is characterized by myoclonic jerks that occur in 100% of cases, with many patients also experiencing generalized tonic-clonic and absence seizures. JME is frequently mis-diagnosed and this can lead to inappropriate treatment choices.

Dr Soheyl Noachtar, head of the epilepsy centre, University of Munich, Germany, said, "In JME there is a need for AEDs that are well-tolerated and do not aggravate seizures. Keppra helps to fulfil this niche with its proven efficacy and tolerability in treating myoclonic seizures in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy. In the well-controlled trial supporting this indication, 22% of Keppra patients achieved complete seizure freedom throughout the 12-week evaluation period compared with only 2% of placebo patients. With seizure freedom being the ultimate goal of epilepsy management Keppra may be a valuable addition to the clinician's armamentarium."

The indication for Keppra in the US is still under review by the FDA.