The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has recommended that the PBS subsidy criteria for the anti-epilepsy drug brivaracetam (Briviact) be extended to children.

At its November 2019 meeting the Committee made a positive recommendation  to change the Authority Required (STREAMLINED) listings for brivaracetam for the treatment of intractable partial onset epileptic seizures, to include patients aged 4 to 15 years.

In its decision summary the PBAC said it recommended removing the age criterion from the current brivaracetam restriction, to bring it into in line with the restriction for lacosamide (Vimpat).

The PBAC noted that the TGA registered indications for both brivaracetam and lacosamide are as add-on therapy in the treatment of partial seizures in patients with epilepsy who are aged 4 years and older.

It also recommended that the continuation criteria ‘treatment must be in combination with two or more antiepileptic drugs which includes one second-line adjunctive agent’ be removed from listings for brivaracetam.

This change would enable patients to use brivaracetam as eventual dual or monotherapy, the Committee noted, and would also allow ineffective medications to be ceased, reducing treatment burden and treatment-related toxicity.