DOI: https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2017.14413
In the Swiss Medical Weekly, an article written by Prof. Margitta Seek and and Dr Markus Gschwind (University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland) with the title “Modern management of seizures and epilepsy” has been published [1].
In table 5 of the published article, where the main features of the drugs are summarised, the prices for a daily dose are also listed. According to the information in the published table, Fycompa® (perampanel) is cheaper than Vimpat® (lacosamide). The price of Vimpat is given as 9.6 CHF/day, based on a dosage of 300 mg/day, and the price of Fycompa as 8.4 CHF/day at the (most frequent) daily dose of 8 mg.
In contrast to the statements made by the authors of the article in the published table, and taking into account the most-used pack and the defined daily dose (DDD; source: WHOCC ATC/DDD index) of these two products, the price of Fycompa® (ex-factory price or public price) per DDD is always greater than that of Vimpat®! You can find the correct numbers in table 1.
Table 1 Fycompa and Vimpat price (source: Spezialitätenliste (SL) https://bag.e-mediat.net/SL2007.Web.External/ShowPreparations.aspx)
| Product | Molecule | Pack size | FAP-PF (CHF) | PP (CHF) | DDD | Dosage | FAP-PF/DDD (CHF) | Variation FAP-PF/DDD* | PP/DDD (CHF) | Variation PP/DDD* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fycompa | Perampanel | 8 mg 28 tabs |
190.33 | 234.90 | 8 mg/day | 1 tab/day | 6.80 | 12.89% | 8.39 | 11.88% |
| Vimpat | Lacosamide | 150 mg 56 tabs |
168.6 | 209.95 | 300 mg/day | 2 tabs/day | 6.02 | 7.50 |
* Fycoma vs Vimpat
May we therefore kindly ask you to correct the statement that Fycompa is less costly than Vimpat? This message is the direct opposite of the true situation and might be a significant commercial drawback for our company.
1 Gschwind M , Seeck M . Modern management of seizures and epilepsy. Swiss Med Wkly. 2016;146:w14310. doi:10.4414/smw.2016.14310.