- Prescribing Advice for GPs - https://www.prescriber.org.uk -

Switching Antiepileptic Drugs

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has written to healthcare professionals to provide information about switching between different manufacturers’ products of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). This includes switching between branded products and generic products, and between different generic products of a particular drug.

Following a review of the available evidence and consideration of the bioavailability and pharmacokinetic characteristics of the different drugs it has been suggested that they could be classified into three categories:

A patient information leaflet has been prepared and provides a summary of what these changes means.

Action: Clinicians will already be aware of the need to prescribe by brand for the specified medicines. This document is helpful in indicating where more flexible prescribing can be considered.