About 20% of neurologists are not aware of major established safety risks associated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), such as the risk for birth defects and suicidal thoughts, despite being exposed to multiple sources of information, according to results of a new survey.

The survey results suggest drug safety information is not being delivered to the profession in a systematic fashion, which could affect patient care.

As it stands, the dissemination of information “goes in stages” and is “a very slow process,” said study author Gregory L. Krauss, MD, professor, neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, in an interview with Medscape Medical News.

The process might start with a report of a higher risk for a particular outcome associated with an AED, followed by inclusion of that information in a product insert that physicians might not read, epilepsy specialists becoming aware of it by reading the literature, and then general neurologists gradually learning about it through a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning or a continuing medical education meeting, he said.

“There isn’t a good systematic method for getting safety information out about drugs, and there should be,” said Dr. Krauss. “I think the FDA relies on secondary transmission and professional societies, but that’s irregular. There should be a better system to inform doctors; for example, an email system that’s selective for specialists. Right now, if you sign up for Medwatch (the FDA safety information and adverse event reporting program), you get buried.”

The survey findings were published in the October issue of Epilepsy & Behavior.

Full story: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/809968