| Formulary Chapter 4: Central nervous system - Full Chapter
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| 04.08.01 |
Control of epilepsy |
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Partial seizures with or without secondary generalisation |
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| 04.08.01 |
Generalised seizures |
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Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine |
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Gabapentin and pregabalin |
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| 04.08.01 |
Phenobarbital and other barbiturates |
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Brivaracetam (Briviact®) (oral formulations)
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Formulary
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•Initiation by Tertiary Epilepsy Specialist only. •For adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalisation in adult and adolescent patients from 16 years of age with severe refractory epilepsy warranting tertiary specialist input for patients who have tried three or more AEDs. The patient has used levetiracetam and has documentation of intolerance and patient is using a third line agent (perampanel, zonisamide, lacosamide, eslicarbazepine) which would be replaced by brivaracetam
Supported by an ESCA
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Retigabine (Tablets)

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Non Formulary
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MHRA Advice Care should be taken when switching between oral formulations. The need for continued supply of a particular manufacturer’s product should be based on clinical judgement and consultation with patient and/or carer, taking into account factors such as seizure frequency and treatment history Prescribe in accordance with NICE TA232 Prescribing restrictions imposed by the MHRA July 2013. Monitor for ocular side effects and complete yellow cards as appropriate. To be discontinued from June 2017 (see link below) |
Key |
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Restricted Drug |
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Unlicensed |
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Link to adult BNF
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Link to children's BNF
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Link to SPCs
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Cytotoxic Drug |
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Controlled Drug |
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High Cost Medicine |
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Cancer Drugs Fund |
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NHS England |
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Homecare |
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ICB |
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Low carbon footprint |
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Medium carbon footprint |
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High carbon footprint |
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| Status |
Description |

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All Settings
Suitable for initiation, ongoing prescribing, and discontinuation in both primary and secondary care settings. They are generally familiar, frequently used therapies that can be started within their licensed indications without specialist oversight. |

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Specialist only Designated for initiation, ongoing prescribing, monitoring, exclusively by a specialists either in a hospital or as part of a specialist service (to note this could be in a non-hospital setting). Primary care should neither start nor continue these treatments except as part of a specialist service. A specialist could be either a medical or non-medical prescriber. |

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Specialist advice Prescribers in primary care should seek advice and a recommendation from a specialists prior to initiating a medicine. Once agreed with a specialist, medicines can be initiated, prescribed and monitored in primary care without a formal shared-care agreement. |

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Specialist initiation
Medicines in this category require a specialist to start therapy, titrate dosage, and assess initial efficacy or tolerability. Once stabilised, prescribing responsibility may transfer to primary care without the need for a formal shared-care agreement. |

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Shared care agreement Prescribing responsibility can be shared across health settings and between specialists and GPs only when formal shared care arrangement has been made. For example, there may be extensive and complex monitoring requirements or significant safety concerns (note would need a national policy on this to define the criteria for requiring a formal SCA), this will be produced once nationally. |

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Do not prescribe Not approved for routine prescribing in primary or secondary care. For example, because they are agents classified in the BNF as “not NHS” or “Drugs of Low Clinical Value”, or they are products on NICE’s “do not do” list or NHS England’s “should not routinely prescribe” list. |

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Self Care Not for routine prescribed in primary or secondary care unless as part of care for a long term condition. Instead, patients should be encouraged to self care with support from community pharmacy. |

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Medicines which are suitable for initiation and maintenance prescribing by primary and secondary care clinicians. These medicines should be initiated and prescribed within their licensed indications |

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Amber Specialist Initiation: Initiation and maintenance of prescribing by Specialists and transfer to Primary Care prescribing when appropriate. This may be supported by a RICaD, annotated within the formulary entry. |

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Amber Shared Care: Initiation and maintenance of prescribing by Specialists and transfer to Primary Care prescribing, in accordance with an ESCA, annotated within the formulary entry. |

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Amber Specialist Recommendation: Initiation and maintenance of prescribing in Primary Care following recommendation from a specialist. |

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Medicines for initiation and maintenance prescribing by Specialists (hospital or GPs with Special Interest) only |

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Positive NICE TA and /or awaiting local clarification on place in therapy; Please contact your Medicines Optimisation team for more information. |

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Non-formulary Medicines which APC/Trust DTC has actively reviewed and do not recommend for use. |
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