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. 2007 Apr 24;13(1):43–56. doi: 10.1111/j.1527-3458.2007.00004.x

Levetiracetam: The Profile of a Novel Anticonvulsant Drug—Part I: Preclinical Data

Tim De Smedt 1, Robrecht Raedt 1, Kristl Vonck 1, Paul Boon 1
PMCID: PMC6494143  PMID: 17461889

ABSTRACT

The objective of this article was to review and summarize the available reports on the preclinical profile of the novel anticonvulsant drug levetiracetam (LEV). Therefore, a careful search was conducted in the MEDLINE database and combined with guidelines from regulatory agencies, proceedings of professional scientific meetings, and information provided by the manufacturers. This article provides detailed information on the anticonvulsant effects of LEV in various animal models of epilepsy and on its pharmacology in laboratory animals. The mechanism of action of LEV is reviewed, with special regard to its recently discovered binding site, the synaptic vesicle protein 2A. In general, LEV is shown to be a safe, broad‐spectrum anticonvulsant drug with highly beneficial pharmacokinetic properties and a distinct mechanism of action. The clinical studies with LEV will be discussed in the second part of this review article to be published subsequently.

Keywords: Anticonvulsants, Epilepsy, Levetiracetam, SV2A

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Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments We would like to thank Liesbeth Waterschoot, Annelies Van Dycke, and Tine Wyckhuys for reviewing the manuscript and providing corrections where needed.

Tim De Smedt is supported by a grant from the Ghent University Research Fund (B.O.F.). Robrecht Raedt is supported by a grant from the Institute for the Promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders. Kristl Vonck is supported by a junior researcher (“Aspirant”) grant from the Fund for Scientific Research‐Flanders.

Paul Boon is a Senior Clinical Investigator of the Fund for Scientific Research‐Flanders (F.W.O.‐Vlaanderen) and he is supported by grants from the Fund for Scientific Research‐Flanders (F.W.O.‐Vlaanderen); by grants from Ghent University Research Fund (B.O.F.) and by the Clinical Epilepsy Grant Ghent University Hospital.

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