Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 28-31 August 2023
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PRAC recommends new measures to avoid topiramate exposure in pregnancy
EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) recommends new measures to avoid exposure of children to topiramate-containing medicines in the womb, because the medicine may increase the risk of neurodevelopmental problems after exposure during pregnancy. Topiramate is already known to cause serious birth defects when used during pregnancy.
Topiramate?containing medicines are used in the EU for the treatment of epilepsy and prevention of migraine. In some EU countries, the medicine is also used in combination with phentermine for weight reduction. At present, topiramate must not be used to prevent migraine or manage body weight during pregnancy and patients who can become pregnant must use effective birth control when using topiramate.
For patients using topiramate for the treatment of epilepsy, the PRAC is now recommending that the medicine should not be used during pregnancy unless there is no other suitable treatment available.
The PRAC also recommends additional measures, in the form of a pregnancy prevention programme, to avoid exposure of children to topiramate in the womb. These measures will inform any woman or girl who is able to have children of the risks of taking topiramate during pregnancy and the need to avoid becoming pregnant while taking topiramate.
The recommendations follow the PRAC’s review of available data. The product information for topiramate-containing medicines will be updated to further highlight the risks and the measures to be taken.
The recommendations are described further in the section below “New safety information for healthcare professionals”.
More information is available in EMA’s public health communication.
New safety information for healthcare professionals: restrictions to prevent exposure during pregnancy
As part of its responsibility to give advice on safety-related aspects to other EMA committees, the PRAC agreed a direct healthcare professional communication (DHPC) informing healthcare professionals about the implementation of new measures under a pregnancy prevention programme for topiramate-containing medicinal products. For all women of childbearing potential, alternative treatment options should be considered and the need for topiramate treatment should be reassessed at least annually. Ongoing treatment should be re-evaluated to confirm that the new measures have been taken. Healthcare professionals should ensure that all patients who can become pregnant are fully aware of the risks of taking topiramate during pregnancy.
This DHPC will be forwarded to the Coordination Group for Mutual Recognition and Decentralised Procedures – Human (CMDh). Following the CMDh opinion, the DHPC will be disseminated to healthcare professionals by the marketing authorisation holder, according to an agreed communication plan, and published on the Direct healthcare professional communications page and in national registers in EU Member States.
Agenda
PRAC statistics: September 2023
Glossary:
- Safety signal assessments. A safety signal is information which suggests a new potentially causal association, or a new aspect of a known association between a medicine and an adverse event that warrants further investigation. Safety signals are generated from several sources such as spontaneous reports, clinical studies and the scientific literature. More information can be found under 'Signal management'.
- Periodic safety update reports, abbreviated as PSURs, are reports prepared by the marketing authorisation holder to describe the worldwide safety experience with a medicine in a defined period after its authorisation. PSURs for medicinal products that contain the same active substance or the same combination of active substances but have different marketing authorisations and are authorised in different EU Member States, are jointly assessed in a single assessment procedure. More information can be found under 'Periodic safety update reports: questions and answers'.
- Risk management plans, abbreviated as RMPs, are detailed descriptions of the activities and interventions designed to identify, characterise, prevent or minimise risks relating to medicines. Companies are required to submit an RMP to EMA when applying for a marketing authorisation. RMPs are continually updated throughout the lifetime of the medicine as new information becomes available. More information is available under 'Risk-management plans'.
- Post-authorisation safety studies, abbreviated as PASSs, are studies carried out after a medicine has been authorised to obtain further information on its safety, or to measure the effectiveness of risk-management measures. The PRAC assesses the protocols (aspects related to the organisation of a study) and the results of PASSs. More information can be found under 'Post-authorisation safety studies'.
- Referrals are procedures used to resolve issues such as concerns over the safety or benefit-risk balance of a medicine or a class of medicines. In a referral related to safety of medicines, the PRAC is requested by a Member State or the European Commission to conduct a scientific assessment of a particular medicine or class of medicines on behalf of the EU. More information can be found under referral procedures.
- Summary safety reports have been introduced as part of the enhanced safety monitoring of COVID-19 vaccines. Marketing authorisation holders are required to submit these reports to EMA, starting on a monthly basis. Their submission complements the submission of PSURs. For more information see Pharmacovigilance plan of the EU Regulatory Network for COVID-19 vaccines.
Ongoing referrals
Procedure | Status | Update |
|---|---|---|
| Pseudoephedrine-containing medicinal products - Article - 31 referral | Under evaluation | PRAC continued its assessment |
| Hydroxyprogesterone-containing medicinal products – Article-31 referral | Under evaluation | PRAC continued its assessment |