LAPRYSTA 50 mg FILM-COATED TABLETS

Introduction

Package Leaflet: Information for the User

Laprysta 50 mg Film-Coated Tablets EFG

lacosamide

Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start taking this medicine because it contains important information for you.

• Keep this leaflet, you may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
• If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

Contents of the pack

1. What is Laprysta and what is it used for
2. What you need to know before you take Laprysta
3. How to take Laprysta
4. Possible side effects
5. Storage of Laprysta
6. Contents of the pack and other information

1. What is Laprysta and what is it used for

What is Laprysta

This medicine contains lacosamide, which belongs to a group of medicines called “antiepileptic medicines”. These medicines are used to treat epilepsy.

• You have been prescribed this medicine to reduce the number of seizures you have.

What lacosamide is used for

• It is used:
• on its own and with other antiepileptic medicines in adults, adolescents, and children from 2 years of age, to treat a certain type of epilepsy characterized by the occurrence of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization. In this type of epilepsy, seizures affect only one side of your brain. However, they can then spread to larger areas on both sides of your brain;
• with other antiepileptic medicines, in adults, adolescents, and children from 4 years of age, to treat primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal seizures, with loss of consciousness) in patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (a type of epilepsy that is believed to have a genetic origin).

2. What you need to know before you take Laprysta

Do not take Laprysta

• if you are allergic to lacosamide or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6). If you are not sure, consult your doctor.
• if you have a heart problem called second- or third-degree atrioventricular (AV) block.

Do not take this medicine if any of the above applies to you. If you are not sure, consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine.

Warnings and precautions

Consult your doctor before starting to use this medicine if:

• you have thoughts of self-harm or suicide. A small number of people taking antiepileptic medicines such as lacosamide have had thoughts of self-harm or suicide. If at any time you have these thoughts, contact your doctor immediately.
• you have a heart problem that affects your heart rhythm and your pulse is often particularly slow, fast, or irregular (such as AV block, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter).
• you have severe heart disease such as heart failure or have had a heart attack.
• you often feel dizzy or faint. Lacosamide may cause dizziness, which could increase the risk of accidental injury or falls. This means you should be careful until you are used to the effects of this medicine.

If any of the above applies to you (or you are not sure), consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine.

If you are taking Laprysta, consult your doctor if you experience a new type of seizure or worsening of existing seizures.

If you are taking Laprysta and experience symptoms of abnormal heart rhythm (such as slow, fast, or irregular heartbeat, palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting), consult your doctor immediately (see section 4).

Children

Lacosamide is not recommended in children under 2 years of age with epilepsy characterized by the occurrence of partial-onset seizures and is not recommended for children under 4 years of age with primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. This is because it is not yet known if it is effective and safe for children in this age group.

Other medicines and Laprysta

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines.

In particular, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines that affect the heart. The reason is that lacosamide may also affect the heart.

• medicines for heart problems.
• medicines that may increase the “PR interval” in a heart test (ECG or electrocardiogram) such as epilepsy or pain medicines called carbamazepine, lamotrigine, or pregabalin.
• medicines used to treat certain types of arrhythmia or heart failure.

If any of the above applies to you (or you are not sure), talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine.

Also, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any of the following medicines. The reason is that they may also increase or decrease the effect of lacosamide in your body.

• medicines for fungal infections such as fluconazole, itraconazole, or ketoconazole.
• medicines for HIV such as ritonavir.
• medicines for bacterial infections called clarithromycin or rifampicin.
• a herbal medicine used to treat mild anxiety and depression called St. John's Wort.

If any of the above applies to you (or you are not sure), talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking lacosamide.

Taking Laprysta with alcohol

As a precaution, do not take this medicine with alcohol.

Pregnancy and breast-feeding

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Lacosamide is not recommended if you are pregnant or breast-feeding, as the effects of this medicine on pregnancy and the fetus or the newborn child are not known. Also, it is not known if lacosamide passes into breast milk. Ask your doctor for advice immediately if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. They will help you decide if you should take lacosamide or not.

Do not stop treatment without talking to your doctor first, as this may increase the risk of seizures (fits). Worsening of your condition may also harm the fetus.

Driving and using machines

You should not drive, ride a bicycle, or use any tools or machines until you know if this medicine affects you. The reason is that lacosamide may cause dizziness or blurred vision.

3. How to take Laprysta

Follow exactly the administration instructions of this medicine given by your doctor or pharmacist. In case of doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist again. Another form of this medicine may be more suitable for children; consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Taking Lacosamide

• Take lacosamide twice a day, with an interval of approximately 12 hours.
• Try to take it more or less at the same time every day.
• Take the lacosamide tablet with a glass of water.
• You can take lacosamide with or without food.

Normally, you will start by taking a low dose each day and your doctor will gradually increase the dose over several weeks. When you reach the dose that works well for you, called the “maintenance dose”, you will take the same amount every day. Lacosamide is used as long-term treatment. You will need to continue taking lacosamide until your doctor tells you to stop.

How much to take

The following are the usual recommended doses of lacosamide for different age and weight groups. Your doctor may prescribe a different dose if you have kidney or liver problems.

Adolescents and children weighing 50 kg or more and adults

When taking lacosamide alone:

The usual starting dose is 50 mg twice a day.

Your doctor may also prescribe a starting dose of 100 mg of lacosamide twice a day. Your doctor may increase the dose you take twice a day by 50 mg each week, until you reach a maintenance dose between 100 mg and 300 mg twice a day.

When taking lacosamide with other antiepileptic medicines:

The usual starting dose is 50 mg twice a day.

Your doctor may increase the dose you take twice a day by 50 mg each week, until you reach a maintenance dose between 100 mg and 200 mg twice a day.

If you weigh 50 kg or more, your doctor may start lacosamide treatment with a single “loading dose” of 200 mg. You would then start taking the continuous maintenance dose 12 hours later.

Children and adolescents weighing less than 50 kg

• In the treatment of partial-onset seizures:note that lacosamide is not recommended for children under 2 years of age.
• In the treatment of primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures: note that lacosamide is not recommended for children under 4 years of age.
• The dose depends on body weight. Treatment is usually started with the oral solution and only switched to tablets if the patient is able to take them and to get the correct dose with tablets of different strengths. Your doctor will prescribe the pharmaceutical form that best suits you.

If you take more lacosamide than you should

If you have taken more lacosamide than you should, contact your doctor immediately. Do not attempt to drive.

You may experience:

• dizziness;
• feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting);
• seizures (fits), heart rhythm problems such as slow, fast, or irregular pulse, coma, or low blood pressure with rapid heart rate and sweating.

If you forget to take lacosamide

• If you have forgotten to take a dose within 6 hours of the scheduled dose, take it as soon as you remember.
• If you have forgotten to take a dose after 6 hours of the scheduled dose, do not take the missed dose. Instead, take lacosamide at the next regularly scheduled time.
• Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

If you stop taking lacosamide

• Do not stop taking lacosamide without telling your doctor, as your epilepsy may come back or get worse.
• If your doctor decides to stop your treatment with lacosamide, they will give you instructions on how to gradually reduce the dose.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

4. Possible side effects

Like all medicines, lacosamide can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

Side effects in the nervous system, such as dizziness, may be greater after a single “loading dose”.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you get any of the following effects:

Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people

• headache;
• feeling dizzy or sick (nausea);
• double vision (diplopia).

Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people

• short, sudden jerks of a muscle or group of muscles (myoclonic seizures);
• difficulty in coordinating movements or walking;

• problems with balance, difficulty in coordinating movements or walking, shaking (tremor), tingling (paresthesia), or muscle spasms, falling easily and bruising;
• memory problems, problems with thinking or finding words, confusion;
• rapid, uncontrolled movements of the eyes (nystagmus), blurred vision;
• feeling dizzy (vertigo), feeling drunk;
• being sick (vomiting), dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, excessive gas in the stomach or intestines, diarrhea;
• decreased sensitivity, difficulty speaking, attention problems;
• ringing in the ears like buzzing, ringing, or whistling;
• irritability, sleep problems, depression;
• sleepiness, tiredness, or weakness (asthenia);
• itching, rash.

Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people

• decreased heart rate, palpitations, irregular heartbeat, or other changes in heart activity (conduction disorder);
• feeling extremely happy, seeing and/or hearing things that are not real;
• allergic reaction to the medicine, hives;
• blood tests may show abnormalities in liver function tests, liver damage;
• thoughts of self-harm or suicide or attempted suicide: tell your doctor immediately;
• feeling angry or agitated;
• abnormal thoughts or loss of sense of reality;
• severe allergic reactions, which cause swelling of the face, throat, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs;
• fainting;
• abnormal involuntary movements (dyskinesia).

Frequency not known: cannot be estimated from the available data

• abnormally fast heart rhythm (ventricular tachyarrhythmia);

• sore throat, high temperature, and getting infections more often than usual. Blood tests may show a severe decrease in a specific type of white blood cell (agranulocytosis);
• severe skin reaction, which may include high temperature and other flu-like symptoms, rash on the face, widespread rash with swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy). Blood tests may show increased liver enzyme levels and an increase in a type of white blood cell (eosinophilia);
• a widespread rash with blisters and peeling of the skin, especially around the mouth, nose, eyes, and genitals (Stevens-Johnson syndrome) and a more severe form that causes peeling of the skin on more than 30% of the body surface (toxic epidermal necrolysis):
• seizures.

Other side effects in children

Additional side effects seen in children were fever (pyrexia), runny nose (nasopharyngitis), sore throat (pharyngitis), eating less than usual (decreased appetite), behavioral changes, not acting as they normally do (abnormal behavior), and lack of energy (lethargy). Sleepiness (somnolence) is a very common side effect in children and may affect more than 1 in 10 children.

Reporting of side effects

If you experience any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Human Use website: www.notificaram.es. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

5. Storage of Laprysta

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton and blister after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month shown.

This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.

Medicines should not be disposed of via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of medicines no longer required. These measures will help protect the environment.

6. Contents of the pack and other information

Composition of Laprysta

• The active substance is lacosamide. Each tablet contains 50 mg of lacosamide.
• The other ingredients are

Tablet core: microcrystalline cellulose (E460), low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose, crospovidone (type B), hydroxypropylcellulose (E463), silicified microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate.

Coating: polyvinyl alcohol, macrogol, talc, titanium dioxide (E171), red iron oxide (E172), black iron oxide (E172), and aluminum lake indigo carmine (E132).

Appearance of the product and pack contents

Laprysta 50 mg are pink, oblong, film-coated tablets engraved with 'LAC' on one side and “50” on the other.

Laprysta 50 mg is available in packs of 14, 56, and 84 film-coated tablets in transparent PVC/PVDC blisters sealed with an aluminum foil.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Marketing authorization holder and manufacturer

Marketing authorization holder

Neuraxpharm Spain, S.L.U.

Avda Barcelona, 69

08970 Sant Joan Despí

Barcelona – Spain

Manufacturer

Combino Pharm Ltd.

HF60 Hal Far Industrial Estate

BBG3000

Malta

SVUS Pharma a.s.

Smetanovo nábreží 1238/20a

500 02 Hradec Králové

Czech Republic

Galenica Pharmaceutical Industry, S.A.

Asklipiou 4-6,

Kryoneri, Athens,

14568, Greece

This medicine is authorized in the Member States of the European Economic Area under the following names:

Spain: Laprysta 50 mg film-coated tablets EFG

Italy: Laprysta 50 mg compresse rivestite con film

Date of last revision of this leaflet:September 2022

Detailed and up-to-date information on this medicine is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) http://www.aemps.gob.es/