Zebinix, Novel Once-Daily Anti-Epileptic Treatment, Launches in Spain

Hatfield, England (ots/PRNewswire) - Zebinix(R)
(eslicarbazepine acetate), an add-on (adjunctive) therapy for adults
with partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation
(where the seizure spreads to both sides of the brain), has been
launched today in Spain by Eisai and BIAL in a co-promotion.

In 2009, the European Commission approved Zebinix based on data
showing that it reduces seizure frequency and improves health-related
quality of life.[1]

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases,
affecting up to 400,000 people in Spain[2] - and the successful
treatment of partial-onset seizures (the most common type of
epilepsy) remains a challenge. Up to 40% of patients with partial
seizures do not achieve seizure control with current treatments.[3]

"There are many patients with epilepsy whose condition is
difficult to treat with existing anti-epileptic drugs. Zebinix,
developed by BIAL, is the outcome of its longstanding scientific
commitment to CNS research and development, and its launch in Spain
now offers a new therapeutic option which is shown to decrease
seizure frequency and improve quality of life in those patients with
poor seizure control," commented Mark Duffy, Business Development
Director, BIAL

"Eisai's mission to regard patients and their families as the
most important participants in the healthcare process is demonstrated
by our continued commitment to epilepsy in Europe. By increasing our
European footprint, we are able to bring valuable treatment options
to more patients with epilepsy. The launch of Zebinix in Spain is a
clear example of our dedication to this therapeutic area," commented
Dr. Bettina Bauer, Head of EU Epilepsy Business Unit, Eisai Europe
Ltd.

In its first year Zebinix has had over 9,000 months of patient
exposure.[4] Zebinix is already available in Germany, Austria, United
Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Portugal* Albania*,
Cyprus*, Malta* and Spain (co promotion with BIAL from launch).

*Exclusively by BIAL

Notes to Editors

Zebinix(R) is the EU trade name for eslicarbazepine acetate.

Zebinix(R) is under license from Bial.

About epilepsy, partial-onset seizures and their treatment

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease characterised by
abnormal discharges of neuronal activity causing seizures.
Clinically, these manifest as convulsions or jerking of muscles.
Depending on the seizure type, seizures may be limited to one part of
the body, or may be generalised to involve the whole body. Patients
may also experience abnormal sensations, altered behaviour or altered
consciousness. Epilepsy is a disorder with many possible causes.
Often the cause of epilepsy is unknown. However, anything that
disturbs the normal pattern of neuron activity - from illness to
brain damage to abnormal brain development, can lead to seizures.

Epilepsy is characterised by abnormal firing of impulses from
nerve cells in the brain. In partial-onset seizures, these bursts of
electrical activity are initially focused in specific areas of the
brain, but may become more generalised; the symptoms vary according
to the affected areas. Nerve impulses are triggered via voltage-gated
sodium channels in the nerve cell membrane.

Treatment of partial-onset seizures, the most common type of
epilepsy, presents a constant challenge - up to 40% of patients with
partial-onset seizures do not achieve seizure control with current
anti-epileptic drugs.3

Furthermore, central nervous system related adverse events, such
as lightheadedness (dizziness), somnolence (sleepiness), and
cognitive slowing (attention and memory deficits), are highly
prevalent with existing anti-epileptic agents. Hence, there is a need
for new anti-epileptic agents that offer effective reduction in
seizure frequency combined with a favourable safety profile.

About Zebinix (eslicarbazepine acetate)

Zebinix is indicated as adjunctive therapy in adults with
partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation.1
Zebinix is a novel, once-daily, voltage-gated sodium channel
blocker.[5],[6] It preferably targets the inactivated state of the
ion channel, preventing its return to the active state, and thereby
reduces repetitive neuronal firing.5,6 The efficacy of Zebinix has
been demonstrated an initial proof-of-concept phase II study18 and
three subsequent phase III randomised, placebo controlled studies in
1049 patients with refractory partial onset seizures.[5],[7],[8]
Zebinix also significantly improved patient's health related quality
of life (HRQoL) as measured by the QOLIE-31 score during a one year
open label extension of the above three studies.[9],[10],[11],[12],
[13] Zebinix is given orally once-daily.

Clinical data

The EU approval was based on data from a phase II and three phase
III clinical trials. Patients in phase III had a history of at least
four partial seizures per month despite treatment with up to three
concomitant anti-epileptic drugs.

During the trials, patients were randomised to various dosages of
Zebinix or placebo and after a 2-week titration period, were assessed
over a 12-week maintenance period, with continued follow-up over a
one year open-label period.

Efficacy

Over the 12-week maintenance period, Zebinix 800mg and 1200mg
once-daily significantly reduced seizure frequency, and was
significantly more effective than placebo.[5,7,8,14] Long-term safety
and maintenance of therapeutic effect was demonstrated in one-year
open-label extensions of these studies.[15],[16],[17]

Tolerability[5],[7],[8],[14],[18]

In the Phase II and III clinical trials adverse events mainly
occurred during the first 6 weeks of treatment and the majority of
patients experienced adverse events of mild to moderate intensity.
After 6 weeks of treatment, there were no observed differences in the
incidence of side effects between patients treated with Zebinix and
the placebo group. Treatment-emergent adverse events affecting >10%
of patients in the pivotal studies were dizziness, headache and
somnolence.

Quality of life and depressive symptoms[9],[10],[11],[12],[13]

The effect of Zebinix on quality of life was assessed using the
Quality of Life Epilepsy Inventory-31 (QOLIE-31) scale. There was a
statistically and clinically significant improvement from baseline
during long-term open-label therapy, including a mean relative
improvement in overall quality of life (p<0.001 - p<0.01 across the
three studies) and improvements in individual elements of the
QOLIE-31 scale including seizure worry, emotional wellbeing,
energy/fatigue, medication effects and social function.

Improvement in depressive symptoms was also measured using the
Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). During long-term,
open-label therapy, Zebinix demonstrated a statistically significant
improvement from baseline in the overall MADRS score (p<0.0001) and
individual domains of the MADRS scale including pessimistic thoughts,
concentration difficulties, apparent sadness and inner tension.

License Agreement

Eisai Europe Limited , a European subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. ,
announced in February 2009 that it had entered into a license and
co-promotion agreement with BIAL - Portela & C(a), S.A.
(Headquarters: São. Mamede do Coronado, Portugal, Chairman: Luís
Portela & CEO: António Portela, "BIAL"), which gave Eisai Europe
Limited rights to sell BIAL's anti-epileptic drug Zebinix(R)
(eslicarbazepine acetate) in Europe.

About Eisai Europe in Epilepsy

Eisai is committed to developing and delivering highly beneficial
new treatments to help improve the lives of people with epilepsy. The
development of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) is a major strategic area
for Eisai in the European market.

In Europe, Eisai currently has three marketed treatments including:
- Zonegran(R) (zonisamide) as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with
partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalisation
- Zebinix(R) (eslicarbazepine acetate) as adjunctive therapy
in adult patients with partial-onset seizures, with or without
secondary generalization
- Inovelon(R) (rufinamide) for the treatment of seizures associated with
Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome

About Eisai

Eisai is one of the world's leading R&D-based pharmaceutical
companies, that has defined its corporate mission as "giving first
thought to patients and their families and to increasing the benefits
health care provides," which we call human health care (hhc).

Eisai concentrates its R&D activities in three key areas:
- Integrative Neuroscience: Alzheimer's disease, multiple
sclerosis, neuropathic pain, epilepsy, depression, etc
- Integrative Oncology: Anticancer therapies; tumour
regression, tumour suppression, antibodies, etc and Supportive cancer
therapies; pain relief, nausea, etc
- Vascular/Immunological Reaction: Acute coronary syndrome,
atherothrombotic disease, sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis,
Crohn's disease, etc

With operations in the U.S., Asia, Europe and its domestic home
market of Japan, we employ more than 10,000 people worldwide, and
reported consolidated sales of over GBP3.53 billion in FY2007, an
increase of 8.9% year on year. In Europe, Eisai undertakes sales and
marketing operations in over 20 markets, including the United
Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland,
Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Portugal, Iceland, Czech Republic,
Hungary, and Slovakia.

For further information please visit our web site www.eisai.co.jp

About BIAL

Founded in 1924, BIAL is an international pharmaceutical group
with products available in more than 40 countries throughout four
continents. BIAL is a privately held Portuguese research based
pharmaceutical company and the largest Portuguese pharmaceutical
company, based in S. Mamede do Coronado, Portugal, responsible for
the research and development of eslicarbazepine acetate (Zebinix).

It is the partner of choice for many companies, having a strong
presence in the Iberian peninsula as well as in over 10 countries in
Latin America and in around 20 French or Portuguese speaking African
countries.

BIAL is strongly committed to therapeutic innovation investing
more than 20% of its turnover in research and development every year.
Key research areas for BIAL are the central nervous system, the
cardiovascular system and allergen immunotherapy. BIAL currently has
several other innovative programs under development, which the
company expects to bring to the market within the next years, thereby
strengthening its position throughout Europe.

Further information about BIAL can be found at
http://www.bial.com

References

[1] European Medicines Agency. Zebinix (eslicarbazepine acetate):
summary of product characteristics. Available from URL: http://www.em
a.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/EPAR_-_Summary_for_the_p
ublic/human/000988/WC500047226.pdf (Accessed 2 November 2010)

[2] Asociacion de Afectados por la Enfermedad de Epilepsia
Mioclonica Progresiva de Lafora. Available from URL
http://www.arrakis.es/~lafora/ (Accessed 1 February 2011)

[3] Kwan P, Brodie MJ Early identification of refractory
epilepsy. New England Journal of Medicine 2000; 342: 314-9.

[4] Eisai Europe Ltd. Data on file.

[5] Elger C, Halász P, Maia J et al. Efficacy and safety of
eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive treatment in adults with
refractory partial-onset seizures: A randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled, parallel-group phase III study. Epilepsia 2009;
50(3):454-463.

[6] Almeida L, Soares-da-Silva P. Eslicarbazepine acetate (BIA
2-093). Neurotherapeutics. 2007 Jan;4(1):88-96.

[7] Ben-Menachem E, Gabbai A, Hufnagel A, Maia J, Almeida L,
Soares-da-Silver P. Eslicarbazepine acetate as adjunctive therapy in
adult patients with partial epilepsy; Epilepsy Research
2010;89:278-285.

[8] Lopes-Lima J, Gil-Nagel A, Maia J et al. Efficacy and safety
of eslicarbazepine acetate as add-on treatment in adults with
refractory partial-onset seizures: BIA-2093-303 Study. Poster
presented at the 8th European Congress on Epileptology, 21-25
September 2008, Berlin, Germany.

[9] Cramer J, Elger C, Halász P et al. Improvement in
quality-of-life and depressive symptoms during long term treatment
with eslicarbazepine acetate: BIA-2093-301 study (Abstract No.
3.197). Epilepsia. 2008;49(Suppl. 7):426-7.

[10] Soares-da-Silva P, Martins-da-Silva A, Gabbai AA et al.
Improvement in quality-of-life and depressive symptoms during
long-term treatment with eslicarbazepine acetate: BIA-2093-302 study
(Abstract No. 3.254). Epilepsia. 2008;49(7):455-6.

[11] Pereira H, Lopes-Lima J, Gil-Nagel A et al. Improvement in
quality-of-life and depressive symptoms during long-term treatment
with eslicarbazepine acetate: BIA-2093-303 study (Abstract No.
3.240). Epilepsia. 2008;49(Suppl. 7):446-8.

[12] Cramer J, Maia J, Almeida L, et al. Quality-of-life
improvement during long-term treatment with eslicarbazepine acetate
(Abs tract No. T278). Epilepsia. 2009;50(Suppl. 4):124.

[13] Hodoba D, CzÅ?onkowska A, Cramer J, et al. Depressive
symptoms improvement during long-term treatment with eslicarbazepine
acetate (Abstract No. T286). Epilepsia. 2009;50(Suppl. 4):126.

[14] Elger C, French J, Halasz P. et al. Evaluation of
Eslicarbazepine Acetate as Add-On Treatment in Patients with
Partial-Onset Seizures: Pooled Analysis of Three Double-Blind Phase
III Clinical Studies. (Abstract No. 3.199). Epilepsia. 2008;49(Suppl.
7):428-9.

[15] Halász P, Elger C, Guekht A, et al. Long-term-treatment of
partial epilepsy with eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL): results of a
one-year open-label extension to study BIA-2093- 301 (Abstract No.
3.213). Epilepsia. 2008;49(Suppl. 7):435-6.

[16] Lopes-Lima J, Gil-Nagel A, Maia J, et al. Long-term
treatment of partial epilepsy with eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL):
results of a one-year open-label extension of study BIA-2093-303
(Abstract No. 3.227). Epilepsia. 2008;49(Suppl. 7):441-2.

[17] Gabbai A, Ben-Menachem E, Maia J, et al. Long-term treatment
of partial epilepsy with eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL): results of a
one-year open-label extension of study BIA-2093- 302 (Abstract No.
3.208). Epilepsia. 2008;49(Suppl. 7):432-3.

[18] C. Elger et al. Eslicarbazepine Acetate: A Double-blind,
Add-on Placebo-controlled Exploratory Trial in Adult Patients with
Partial-onset SeizuresEpilepsia, 48(3):497-504, 2007

ots Originaltext: Eisai Europe Limited
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
CONTACT: For further information please contact: Benjamyn Tan /
HelenSwift, Tonic Life Communications,
+44(0)20-7798-9262,benjamyn.tan@toniclc.com /
helen.swift@toniclc.com; Eisai Europe Ltd,Cressida Robson,
+44(0)845-676-5318