The manufacturer of retigabine (Trobalt®) has written to healthcare professionals advising that this medicine is to be discontinued.
Retigabine is licensed as an adjunctive treatment of drug-resistant partial onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in patients aged 18 years or older with epilepsy where other combinations have been inadequate or not tolerated.
The decision to discontinue this product is a commercial one based on limited use and a decline in new patients being started on this treatment. There are no safety concerns.
It is recommended that treatment is gradually withdrawn over a period of at least three weeks and safety monitoring should continue during treatment. No new patients should be started on this treatment. The manufacturer is working with regulatory authorities and suppliers to ensure that this medication remains available for the next year to allow time for alternative treatment to be identified and initiated.
Action: Clinicians should be aware of this product being discontinued. It would be prudent to run clinical system searches to identify any patients who are currently prescribed this product to allow a review and arrangements made to identify a suitable alternative.