Oxcarbazepine: double-blind, randomized, placebo-control, monotherapy trial for partial seizures.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxcarbazepine in a placebo-control trial.

METHODS: A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-control, two-arm parallel group, monotherapy design was used to compare oxcarbazepine administered 1,200 mg twice daily to placebo in hospitalized patients with refractory partial seizures, including simple and complex partial seizures and partial seizures evolving to secondarily generalized seizures. Patients exited the trial after completing the 10-day double-blind treatment phase or after experiencing four partial seizures, two new-onset secondarily generalized seizures, serial seizures, or status epilepticus, whichever came first.

RESULTS: Analysis of the primary efficacy variable--time to meeting one of the exit criteria--showed a statistically significant effect in favor of oxcarbazepine (p = 0.0001). The secondary efficacy variables--percentage of patients who met one of the exit criteria (p = 0.0001) and total partial seizure frequency per 9 days during the double-blind treatment (p = 0.0001)--were also statistically significant in favor of oxcarbazepine.

CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that oxcarbazepine given as monotherapy is effective and safe for the treatment of partial seizures in this paradigm.