Do no harm - But first we need to know more: The case of adverse drug reactions with antiepileptic drugs

An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is defined by the World Health Organization as a noxious, unintended, and undesired drug effect, when used for therapeutic purposes in humans. ADRs to anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) significantly impact the quality of life of people with epilepsy and account for a little less than half of all recorded treatment failures with AEDs. Hence prevention and early recognition of ADRs constitute an important aspect of management of epilepsy. Recent developments have improved our ability to predict and hence potentially prevent the occurrence of some of the serious ADRs to AEDs. One example is the potential prediction of the risk of severe cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions including Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis by testing for expression of HLA B*1502 allele in people of Asian origin who are prescribed carbamazepine. The association between HLA B*1502 expression and carbamazepine skin reactions has been documented in India but the role of HLA testing in Indian populations needs to be clarified in larger studies across different ethnic groups within the country