Trends, prescribing patterns and projections of antiseizure drug use in Europe

IF 2.3 4区医学 Q3 CLINICAL NEUROLOGY

Epilepsy Research Pub Date : 2025-12-01 Epub Date: 2025-10-23 DOI:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2025.107689

Lilly Josephine Bindel, Roland Seifert

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose

Epilepsy represents a significant global burden, with antiseizure drugs (ASDs) essential for treatment. This study examines past and recent trends in ASD consumption in 11 European countries, forecasts future developments, analyses Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification (ATC) subgroup use, and offers an initial assessment of treatment sufficiency.

Methods

Publicly available consumption data were collected for ATC group N03A and its subgroups. Past trends in defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day (DID) were analysed, and projections to 2030 were made using Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models. For each country, treatment coverage relative to epilepsy prevalence was estimated.

Results

In 2023, ASD consumption ranged from 6.9 to 14.0 DID, with varying past and projected trends. The most commonly and increasingly used subgroup was miscellaneous (e.g. levetiracetam). Other subgroup distributions differed across countries, with most showing declines. The analysed countries of Northern Europe had the highest use and share of miscellaneous drugs, while Southern and Eastern Europe showed greater use of barbiturates and benzodiazepines. Adjusted treatment coverage revealed potential undertreatment in several countries, particularly in Eastern Europe.

Conclusion

ASD use has shifted in subgroup patterns without a uniform trend in total volume, with strong regional differences. Evaluating treatment adequacy remains challenging due to non-epilepsy indications. The increase in miscellaneous use appears to be driven by broader applications rather than substitution for older ASDs. Evidence suggests a north-to-south-east gradient, with more rational use in Northern Europe. These disparities likely reflect systemic determinants. The ATC system’s limitations reduce interpretative capability.

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欧洲抗癫痫药物使用的趋势、处方模式和预测。

目的：癫痫是一项重大的全球负担，抗癫痫药物（ASDs）对治疗至关重要。本研究考察了11个欧洲国家过去和最近的ASD消费趋势，预测了未来的发展，分析了解剖治疗化学分类（ATC）亚组的使用情况，并提供了治疗充分性的初步评估。方法：收集N03A ATC组及其亚组的公开消费资料。分析了每1000名居民每日限定日剂量（DID）的过去趋势，并使用自动回归综合移动平均（ARIMA）模型对2030年进行了预测。对每个国家的治疗覆盖率与癫痫患病率的关系进行了估计。结果：2023年，ASD的消费范围为6.9 - 14.0 DID，过去和预测趋势不同。最常用和越来越多地使用的亚组是杂项（例如左乙拉西坦）。其他亚组的分布在不同国家有所不同，大多数都出现了下降。所分析的北欧国家使用各种药物的比例最高，而南欧和东欧使用巴比妥类药物和苯二氮卓类药物的比例更高。调整后的治疗覆盖率显示，在一些国家，特别是东欧，可能存在治疗不足的情况。结论：ASD使用在亚组模式上发生了变化，但在总量上没有统一的趋势，区域差异较大。由于非癫痫适应症，评估治疗的充分性仍然具有挑战性。各种用途的增加似乎是由更广泛的应用驱动的，而不是替代旧的asd。有证据表明，从北到东南的梯度，在北欧更合理地使用。这些差异可能反映了系统性的决定因素。ATC系统的局限性降低了解释能力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Epilepsy Research 医学-临床神经学

CiteScore

0.10

自引率

4.50%

发文量

143

审稿时长

62 days

期刊介绍： Epilepsy Research provides for publication of high quality articles in both basic and clinical epilepsy research, with a special emphasis on translational research that ultimately relates to epilepsy as a human condition. The journal is intended to provide a forum for reporting the best and most rigorous epilepsy research from all disciplines ranging from biophysics and molecular biology to epidemiological and psychosocial research. As such the journal will publish original papers relevant to epilepsy from any scientific discipline and also studies of a multidisciplinary nature. Clinical and experimental research papers adopting fresh conceptual approaches to the study of epilepsy and its treatment are encouraged. The overriding criteria for publication are novelty, significant clinical or experimental relevance, and interest to a multidisciplinary audience in the broad arena of epilepsy. Review articles focused on any topic of epilepsy research will also be considered, but only if they present an exceptionally clear synthesis of current knowledge and future directions of a research area, based on a critical assessment of the available data or on hypotheses that are likely to stimulate more critical thinking and further advances in an area of epilepsy research.