Efficacy and Tolerability of Intravenous Brivaracetam (Briviact®) for Status Epilepticus: A Systematic Review

June 25, 2020

Abstract, published in Journal of the Neurological Sciences

Background & Objectives: Status epilepticus (SE) is an emergent neurologic condition that carries a high risk of morbidity and mortality. Intravenous brivaracetam (IV BRV) may be an alternative anticonvulsant against SE, although the sparseness of controlled studies on the topic limits its recommendation for this indication. This systematic review aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of IV BRV in the treatment of SE.

Results: From a total of 34 studies identified in a comprehensive literature search, 5 uncontrolled studies with 77 patients were included in this review. Thirty-seven out of 77 patients (48%) with SE responded to IV BRV. Reported time to seizure cessation may be immediate from a few minutes to several hours after IV BRV treatment.

Conclusions: Limited evidence from 5 uncontrolled studies involving a limited number of patients suggests that IV BRV may be efficacious and safe in terminating seizures among patients with SE or refractory SE. Further studies employing either prospective, controlled trials or registry-based study designs are essential to determine the definitive role of IV BRV in patients with status epilepticus.