Levetiracetam 1000mg tablets made by Milpharm are temporarily out of stock. Milpharm were not able to give us a date for when they will be back in stock. We will update this page when we know more. Milpharm levetiracetam 250mg and 500mg tablets are still in stock. Other manufacturers versions of levetiracetam are also available. If you have any concerns about getting your usual medicine, please speak to your pharmacist or GP for advice. You can also read our information about  switching between different versions of your epilepsy medicine ..read more

A new study into “game-changing” long-term seizure-monitoring technology has launched today. The Real World Testing and Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Subcutaneous EEG (REAL-ASE) will recruit 33 people with drug-resistant epilepsy in centres in London, Newcastle, Cardiff and Manchester, to trial the small EEG device for six months. Drug-resistance is when two or more epilepsy medicines have not worked to control a person’s seizures. Through the study, the researchers are hoping to find out what it would cost for the NHS to incorporate this technology into its work, and what the benefits would ..read more

A new study into “game-changing” long-term seizure-monitoring technology has launched today. The Real World Testing and Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Subcutaneous EEG (REAL-ASE) will recruit 33 people with drug-resistant epilepsy in centres in London, Newcastle, Cardiff and Manchester, to trial the small EEG device for six months. Drug-resistance is when two or more epilepsy medicines have not worked to control a person’s seizures. Through the study, the researchers are hoping to find out what it would cost for the NHS to incorporate this technology into its work, and what the benefits would ..read more

St Elizabeth’s Adult Care Home for people with epilepsy and learning disabilities, in Hertfordshire, will close on 30 November, leaving 83 current residents needing new accommodation. The centre had received two notices by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in August saying that it intends to close the services. This followed a CQC inspection in June and report in July saying that the facility is “inadequate”, including in areas such as safety, effectiveness and leadership. St Elizabeth’s said the Covid-19 pandemic and “a chronic national shortage of trained staff” had put the centre under “re ..read more

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has said it is “on track” to deliver the Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 to around six million people by early October. This is despite the DWP also stating that an “operational issue” meant fewer payments were sent in the week they were set to start (from 20 September). People with epilepsy receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are among those who will receive a one-off payment of £150 from the government to help with the rising cost of living. The DWP had said that these payments should start coming “automatically from 20 Septemb ..read more

Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Flynn Pharma have been fined nearly £70 million after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found in July that they had overcharged the NHS for an epilepsy medicine. The CMA ruled that Pfizer and Flynn Pharma “abused their dominant positions” and charged “unfairly high prices” for the medicine phenytoin sodium over four years between 2012-16. The companies initially came under investigation for these price hikes in 2016. At that time, the CMA issued a fine of £89 million for the two companies, after prices for the medicine went up 2600% overnight in 2 ..read more

Epilepsy Action Cymru was recently awarded a £328,875 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund to provide online bilingual talking therapy in Wales. The free Wellbeing Service will comprise one-to-one or group talking therapy sessions, available to adults with epilepsy, as well as parents and carers of people with the condition, based in Wales. They will be available in both English and Welsh, and be tailored for each individual. The organisation will be working on setting up this project in the next few months and will announce the launch of the service early next year. Jan Paterson, m ..read more

Around seven in ten people (69%) with epilepsy reported that they did not have a care plan, according to the Neurological Alliance Survey carried out in 2021/22. The survey included over 8,500 people with neurological conditions, and for the first time included people from across the UK. The findings also showed that of the respondents with epilepsy who did have a care plan, nearly a third (29%) said they did not have a say in theirs. Care plans are an important part of helping people with epilepsy and their families manage their own condition and have a say in their care. They are also inten ..read more

Fenfluramine has been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as an add-on medicine for Dravet syndrome. Dravet syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy and is one of the syndromes most resistant to epilepsy medicines. It is a condition for which some epilepsy medicines actually need to be avoided, as they can make seizures worse. Research has shown that fenfluramine added to other epilepsy medicines can reduce the number of convulsive seizures. Some evidence also suggests that it can help improve the quality of life of people with Dravet syndrome and their ca ..read more

Epilepsy Action has launched a new survey, aiming to find the extent of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on people with epilepsy. Inflation is expected to hit 13% by October this year, with energy bills and food prices skyrocketing. Meanwhile data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that benefit rates are at their lowest in 50 years. According to The Economy 2030 Inquiry report, ‘Stagnation nation’, the basic benefit rate for those over 25 years old is £77, just over one tenth of average pay 13%). This means disabled people are facing even higher extra costs than before. Many peo ..read more