Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of new therapies for the treatment of epilepsy.

No specific assessment has been made. However, in December 2021 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published Cenobamate for treating focal onset seizures in epilepsy, which recommends cenobamate as an option for treating focal onset seizures in adults with drug-resistant epilepsy. A copy of the guidance is attached.

In April 2022, NICE also published Epilepsies in children, young people and adults, which aims to improve diagnosis and treatment for different seizure types and epilepsy syndromes and includes recommendations on the principles of treatment, treating epileptic seizures and non-pharmacological treatments. It also includes information on the medications which should be used to treat various types of epileptic seizures. A copy of the guideline is attached. NICE’s guidelines represent best practice and are expected to be taken into account by clinicians in the treatment of individual patients.