Conditions: Epilepsy
Keywords: Epilepsy Child Levetiracetam Keppra® Infusion Intravenous
Allocation: NA | Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Enrollment: 33
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
Keppra injection is approved in the US as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures in adults with epilepsy. The objective of the current study is to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics, of this formulation in children aged 4 to 16 years.

Detailed description:
The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of levetiracetam intravenous 15-minute infusion administered every 12 hours, either as adjunctive treatment or monotherapy in children (4 to 16 years old) with epilepsy (except status epilepticus), either after switching from the equivalent levetiracetam oral dose administration or as a new antiepileptic treatment.

The evaluation period was to be considered as one complete set of 4 Pharmacokinetic (PK) samples for a maximum of 4 days;

* For children already taking levetiracetam oral tablets or oral solution prior to entering the study, the levetiracetam intravenous (LEV IV) dose will be equivalent (mg-for-mg) to their oral dose. The first intravenous (IV) infusion was to be administered 12 hours after the last oral dose of levetiracetam.
* For children not taking levetiracetam oral tablets or oral solution prior to entering the study:

  * If weight \< 50 kg: dose of levetiracetam intravenous (LEV IV) dose will be calculated on the basis of their weight at 20 mg/kg/day (i.e. 10 mg/kg twice daily).
  * If weight ≥ 50 kg: dose of levetiracetam intravenous (LEV IV) will be 1000 mg/day (i.e. 500 mg twice daily).

However, when necessary for the safety of the subject or when the investigator deemed it appropriate the levetiracetam intravenous (LEV IV) dose could be modified after one day.

Subjects were hospitalized for the duration of the levetiracetam IV treatment.

Arms:
arm 1: None

Interventions: intervention 1: Levetiracetam
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Intravenous 100 mg/mL, twice a day, maximum of 4 days

Subjects on oral levetiracetam at study entry receive the same intravenous (IV) dosage (mg-for-mg) to their oral dose.

Dosage for subjects not on levetiracetam at study entry was based on weight: if \<50 kg, the dose was 20 mg/kg/day (10 mg/kg/day twice daily); if weight ≥ 50 kg, the dose of levetiracetam intravenous (LEV IV) was 1000 mg/day (500 mg twice daily).

Protocol document: