Analogues
Brivaracetam, a chemical analogue to levetiracetam, is a racetam derivative with similar properties. Society and culture
Levetiracetam is available as regular and extended release oral formulations and as intravenous formulations.The immediate release tablet has been available as a generic in the United States since 2008, and in the UK since 2011. The patent for the extended release tablet will expire in 2028.The branded version Keppra is manufactured by UCB Pharmaceuticals Inc.In 2015, Aprecias 3D-printed orally disintegrating tablet form of the drug was approved by the FDA, under the trade name Spritam. Some have said that the drug has been improved by 3D printing, as the formula used now has improved disintegration properties. Legal status
Australia
Levetiracetam is a Schedule 4 substance in Australia under the Poisons Standard (February 2020). A Schedule 4 substance is classified as "Prescription Only Medicine, or Prescription Animal Remedy – Substances, the use or supply of which should be by or on the order of persons permitted by State or Territory legislation to prescribe and should be available from a pharmacist on prescription." Japan
Under Japanese law, levetiracetam and other racetams cannot be brought into the country except for personal use by a traveler for whom it has been prescribed. Travelers who plan to bring more than a months worth must apply for an import certificate, known as a Yakkan Shoumei (薬監証明, yakkan shōmei). Research
Levetiracetam is being looked at in psychiatric and neurologic conditions such as Tourette syndrome, and anxiety disorder.
Polyneuropathy (poly- + neuro- + -pathy) is damage or disease affecting peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy) in roughly the same areas on both sides of the body, featuring weakness, numbness, and burning pain. It usually begins in the hands and feet and may progress to the arms and legs and sometimes to other parts of the body where it may affect the autonomic nervous system. It may be acute or chronic. A number of different disorders may cause polyneuropathy, including diabetes and some types of Guillain–Barré syndrome. Classification
Polyneuropathies may be classified in different ways, such as by cause, by presentation, or by classes of polyneuropathy, in terms of which part of the nerve cell is affected mainly: the axon, the myelin sheath, or the cell body. Distal axonopathy, is the result of interrupted function of the peripheral nerves. It is the most common response of neurons to metabolic or toxic disturbances, and may be caused by metabolic diseases such as diabetes, kidney failure, connective tissue disease, deficiency syndromes such as malnutrition and alcoholism, or the effects of toxins or drugs such as chemotherapy. They may be divided according to the type of axon affected (large-fiber, small-fiber, or both), the most distal portions of axons are usually the first to degenerate, and axonal atrophy advances slowly toward the nerves cell body. However, if the cause is removed, then regeneration is possible, although the prognosis depends on the duration and severity of the original stimulus.