Trial reportNeurology2007
Comparison of levetiracetam and controlled-release carbamazepine in newly diagnosed epilepsy.
Trial report in Neurology, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 94 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Multicenter, Double-blind, Randomized, Parallel Group, Positive-controlled Trial Comparing the Efficacy and Safety of Levetiracetam (1000 to 3000 mg/Day Oral b.i.d.) to Carbamazepine (400 to 1200 mg/Day Oral b.i.d.), Used as Monotherapy for up to a Maximum of 121 Weeks in Subjects (≥ 16 Years) Newly or Recently Diagnosed as Suffering From Epilepsy, and Experiencing Partial or Generalized Tonic-clonic Seizures
A Multicenter, Double-blind, Follow-up Trial Evaluating the Long-term Safety of Levetiracetam (1000 to 3000 mg/Day Oral b.i.d.) and Carbamazepine (400 to 1200 mg/Day Oral b.i.d.), Used as Monotherapy in Subjects (≥ 16 Years) Coming From the N01061 Trial.
The BrainDrugs-Epilepsy Study: A Prospective Open-label Cohort Precision Medicine Study in Epilepsy
Who cites it
94 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 464 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antiepileptic drug monotherapy for epilepsy: a network meta-analysis of individual participant data.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Antiepileptic drug monotherapy for epilepsy: a network meta-analysis of individual participant data.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Antiepileptic drug monotherapy for epilepsy: a network meta-analysis of individual participant data.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Levetiracetam add-on for drug-resistant focal epilepsy: an updated Cochrane Review.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2012Pooled it
- Epilepsy (partial).BMJ clinical evidence · 2011Pooled it
- The SANAD II study of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of levetiracetam, zonisamide, or lamotrigine for newly diagnosed focal epilepsy: an open-label, non-inferiority, multicentre, phase 4, randomised controlled trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Long-term safety and efficacy of lacosamide and controlled-release carbamazepine monotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy.Epilepsia · 2019Trial
- Time-to-Seizure Modeling of Lacosamide Used in Monotherapy in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Epilepsy.Clinical pharmacokinetics · 2017Trial
- Treatment outcome after failure of a first antiepileptic drug.Neurology · 2014Trial
- Pediatric occipital lobe epilepsy: A modern review of etiological classification, management, and outcomes.World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2026Review
- Monitoring Antiseizure Medication Change Using Ultra Long-Term Electroencephalogram: A Multicenter Study.Annals of neurology · 2026Article
- Review
- Article
- Article
- Observational
- Cost-effectiveness analysis of pharmacogenetic-guided antiseizure medication therapy based on the risk of HLA-A*31:01 allele variants in Japan.PCN reports : psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2025Article
- A cross-national cost-effectiveness analysis of brivaracetam focusing on psychiatric and behavioral adverse effects.Epilepsia open · 2025Article
- Article
- Deep Brain Stimulation Inhibits Epileptic Seizures via Increase of Adenosine Release and Inhibition of ENT1, CD39, and CD73 Expression.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
34 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveWe report the results of a prospective study of the efficacy and tolerability of levetiracetam, a new antiepileptic drug with a unique mechanism of action, in comparison with controlled-release carbamazepine as first treatment in newly diagnosed epilepsy.
methodsAdults with > or =2 partial or generalized tonic-clonic seizures in the previous year were randomly assigned to levetiracetam (500 mg twice daily, n = 288) or controlled-release carbamazepine (200 mg twice daily, n = 291) in a multicenter, double-blind, noninferiority, parallel-group trial. If a seizure occurred within 26 weeks of stabilization, dosage was increased incrementally to a maximum of levetiracetam 1,500 mg twice daily or carbamazepine 600 mg twice daily. Patients achieving the primary endpoint (6-month seizure freedom) continued on treatment for a further 6-month maintenance period.
resultsAt per-protocol analysis, 73.0% (56.6%) of patients randomized to levetiracetam and 72.8% (58.5%) receiving controlled-release carbamazepine were seizure free at the last evaluated dose (adjusted absolute difference 0.2%, 95% CI -7.8% to 8.2%) for > or =6 months (1 year). Of all patients achieving 6-month (1-year) remission, 80.1% (86.0%) in the levetiracetam group and 85.4% (89.3%) in the carbamazepine group did so at the lowest dose level. Withdrawal rates for adverse events were 14.4% with levetiracetam and 19.2% with carbamazepine.
conclusionsLevetiracetam and controlled-release carbamazepine produced equivalent seizure freedom rates in newly diagnosed epilepsy at optimal dosing in a setting mimicking clinical practice. This trial has confirmed in a randomized, double-blind setting previously uncontrolled observations that most people with epilepsy will respond to their first-ever antiepileptic drug at low dosage.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.