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Epilepsy is a common medical condition. Recently, a number of new anti-epileptic medicines have become available to treat epilepsy. SANAD-2 compared standard and new anti-epileptic medicines for epilepsy to try and find out which are the best.

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and causes repeated seizures. Antiepileptic drugs (AED) are the mainstay of treatment and may have to be taken for life. The ultimate goal of treatment is to maximise quality of life by eliminating seizures at drug doses that do not cause side effects. However, for many patients there is a necessary trade-off between effective seizure control and side effects, which can diminish quality of life. Over the past 20 years, a number of new AED drugs have become available and have been approved for NHS use on the basis of information from short-term studies, but these studies do not provide information about the longer term outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the AEDs levetiracetam and zonisamide compared with the standard treatments for epilepsy (lamotrigine and valproate).

The Royal Preston Hospital (part of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals) was a recruitment centre for this trial.

The trial is now closed. Further information about the trial can be found on the trial website.

SANAD-2