FDA approves a seizure medicine called levetiracetam for children and adults.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its approval to a medicine called levetiracetam. This drug is used to help control seizures in people with epilepsy. It is approved to treat specific types of seizures, including partial-onset seizures, myoclonic seizures, and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. This approval is significant because it covers a wide range of patients. It is now approved for children as young as one month old, as well as for older children, teenagers, and adults. For young children, there is a liquid form of the medicine and dosing is based on the child's weight, which can make it easier to give the correct amount. The FDA's decision means that doctors now have a broad-spectrum, or widely useful, anti-seizure medicine that they can consider for many of their patients. It provides another option in the toolbox for managing epilepsy across different age groups. It is important to remember that this is an official approval of the drug for these uses, but it does not change the fact that every patient's situation is unique. All medicines have benefits and risks. The most important step for any patient or family is to have a detailed conversation with their doctor. A doctor can explain if this medicine might be a suitable choice based on the individual's specific type of seizures, age, health, and other treatments.