In Real-World Data, Fintepla Treatment for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome Linked to Reduced Healthcare Utilization and Medication Burden
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Fenfluramine use was associated with fewer hospitalizations, ED visits, and ambulance use in LGS.
- Antiseizure medication burden decreased following treatment initiation.
- Treatment persistence remained consistent through 12 months in real-world use.
Treatment with Fintepla (fenfluramine; UCB, Brussels, Belgium) was associated with lower healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and reduced antiseizure medication (ASM) burden in individuals with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), according to real-world results presented at the 2026 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting. The results also showed good treatment persistence at 6 and 12 months.
The retrospective study used the Komodo Health (San Francisco, CA) US healthcare claims database to identify individuals with LGS who had ≥1 Fintepla prescription claim and ≥2 LGS claims (≥1 month apart) between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2024. A total of 148 patients met criteria for the primary endpoint analysis, measuring change in HCRU, which required 12 months of continuous claims data before and after treatment initiation with no gaps in fenfluramine prescriptions greater than 14 days. A broader cohort of 544 patients was included in the persistence analysis, defined as no treatment gaps greater than 90 days, and evaluated using Kaplan–Meier methods.
Key Findings
- Mean all-cause inpatient hospitalization claims decreased from 4.0 before Fintepla initiation to 3.1 after initiation, and seizure-related inpatient hospitalization claims decreased by 23.6% (both P=.04).
- All-cause emergency department (ED) visit claims declined by 42.4%, seizure-related ED visit claims fell by 46.4%, and ambulance use claims dropped by 61.8% (all P<.01).
- Medication burden also improved, with all ASM claims decreasing by 9.3% and the average number of unique ASMs decreasing by 12.2% (both P<.01).
- Fintepla persistence was 73% at 6 months and 61% at 12 months. No significant indicators of persistence were identified.
Source
UCB. UCB presents new data demonstrating quality-of-life impacts for epilepsy patients and caregivers at AAN 2026 meeting. Press release. UCB. Accessed April 26, 2026. https://www.ucb.com/newsroom/press-releases/article/ucb-presents-new-data-demonstrating-quality-of-life-impacts-for-epilepsy-patients-and-caregivers-at-aan-2026-meeting