In the fall of 2010, Health Canada approved Vimpat™ (lacosamide), the first new antiepileptic drug to be cleared for the market in several years.

It is intended to be used as adjunctive therapy to help manage partial onset seizures in adults, 18 years of age and older.

For adults with partial seizures who are not well controlled by their current treatments, Vimpat is a an add-on medication that can work in combination to assist in seizure management.

If you are an adult with partial-onset seizures, talk with your doctor to see if Vimpat might be an option for you.

Vimpat, like any new drug, is expensive! And as a result, many people who might have benefitted from this new medication, were unable to even consider the drug due to the high costs involved.

But now that Vimpat has been added as a Special Authorization Drug under the NLPDP, things should get a little easier.

The NL Prescription Drug Plan offers people with low income or high medical costs a variety of different medication coverage plans. Many medications are automatically covered under these plans, while others are deemed ‘Special Authorization'.

To get coverage for a special authorization drug under the NLPDP, your doctor or medical practitioner would submit an application on your behalf, outlining why this particular drug would be most appropriate for you as opposed to other drugs that may be available and less expensive. The approval process takes about ten business days.

For more information about approval for Vimpat, or assistance with the NLPDP, contact our office.