January 13, 2023

Use of Newer Antiseizure Meds for Epilepsy Differs by Race, Ethnicity – Black and Hispanic Patients Had Lower Odds of Taking Second- or Third-Generation Medications

Article published by MedPage Today

Racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to be taking newer-generation antiseizure medications (ASMs) for their epilepsy, an analysis of Medicaid data showed.

Compared with white patients, Black (adjusted OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.68-0.75), Hispanic (aOR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.99), and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (aOR 0.77, 95% CI 0.67-0.88) patients had lower odds of being on newer ASMs, reported Wyatt Bensken, PhD, of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, and co-authors.

Racial and ethnic minority groups are less likely to be taking newer-generation antiseizure medications (ASMs) for their epilepsy, an analysis of Medicaid data showed.

Of note, taking a second-generation ASM was associated with better treatment adherence (aOR 1.17, 95% CI 1.11-1.23), and those seeing a neurologist had higher odds of being on newer ASMs (aOR 3.26, 95% CI 3.13-3.41), the researchers detailed in Neurology Clinical Practiceopens in a new tab or window.

“Being on a newer, second-, and third-generation ASM may represent an important marker of quality of care for people with epilepsy,” Bensken and team wrote, citing evidence that newer ASMs opens in a new tab or window are associated with fewer side effectsopens in a new tab or window and more effective seizure control opens in a new tab or window.

“From the patterns we observed, there is the potential that a sizeable proportion of people with epilepsy may not be on an optimal ASM regimen, and the differences appear to reflect clear racial and ethnic inequities in epilepsy care,” they added.