o

EUROPEAN MEDICINES AGENCY

SCIENCE MEDICINES HEALTH

EMA/277981/2015

EMEA/H/C/004070

EPAR summary for the public

Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH

pregabalin

This is a summary of the European public assessment report (EPAR) for Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH. It explains how the Agency assessed the medicine to recommend its authorisation in the EU and its conditions of use. It is not intended to provide practical advice on how to use Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH.

For practical information about using Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH, patients should read the package leaflet or contact their doctor or pharmacist.

What is Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH and what is it used for?

Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH is a medicine used to treat adults with the following conditions:

•    epilepsy, where it is used as an 'add-on' to existing treatment in patients who have partial seizures (epileptic fits starting in one specific part of the brain) that cannot be controlled with their current treatment;

•    generalised anxiety disorder (long-term anxiety or nervousness about everyday matters).

Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH is a 'generic medicine'. This means that Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH is similar to a 'reference medicine' already authorised in the European Union (EU) called Lyrica. For more information on generic medicines, see the question-and-answer document here.

Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH contains the active substance pregabalin.

How is Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH used?

Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH is available as capsules (25, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 225 and 300 mg) and can only be obtained with a prescription. The recommended starting dose is 150 mg per day, divided into two or three doses. After three to seven days, the dose can be increased to 300 mg per day.

30 Churchill Place • Canary Wharf • London E14 5EU • United Kingdom Telephone +44 (0)20 3660 6000 Facsimile +44 (0)20 3660 5555 Send a question via our website www.ema.europa.eu/contact

© European Medicines Agency, 2015. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.

Doses can be increased up to twice more until the most effective dose is reached. The maximum dose is 600 mg per day. Stopping treatment with Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH should also be done gradually, over at least a week. Doctors may need to lower the dose in patients who have kidney problems.

How does Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH work?

The active substance in Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH, pregabalin, is similar in structure to the body's own 'neurotransmitter' gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA), but has very different biological effects. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that allow nerve cells to communicate with each other. The exact way that pregabalin works is not fully understood, but it is thought to affect the way that calcium enters nerve cells. This reduces the activity of some of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, reducing the release of other neurotransmitters that are involved in epilepsy and anxiety.

How has Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH been studied?

Because Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH is a generic medicine, studies in people have been limited to tests to determine that it is bioequivalent to the reference medicine, Lyrica. Two medicines are bioequivalent when they produce the same levels of the active substance in the body.

What are the benefits and risks of Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH?

Because Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH is a generic medicine and is bioequivalent to the reference medicine, its benefits and risks are taken as being the same as the reference medicine's.

Why is Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH approved?

The Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that, in accordance with EU requirements, Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH has been shown to have comparable quality and to be bioequivalent to Lyrica. Therefore, the CHMP's view was that, as for Lyrica, the benefit outweighs the identified risk. The Committee recommended that Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH be approved for use in the EU.

What measures are being taken to ensure the safe and effective use of Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH?

A risk management plan has been developed to ensure that Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH is used as safely as possible. Based on this plan, safety information has been included in the summary of product characteristics and the package leaflet for Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH, including the appropriate precautions to be followed by healthcare professionals and patients.

Further information can be found in the summary of the risk management plan.

Other information about Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH

The European Commission granted a marketing authorisation valid throughout the European Union for Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH on 19 June 2015.

The full EPAR and risk management plan summary for Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH can be found on the Agency's website: ema.europa.eu/Find medicine/Human medicines/European public assessment reports. For more information about treatment with Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH, read the package leaflet (also part of the EPAR) or contact your doctor or pharmacist.

The full EPAR for the reference medicine can also be found on the Agency's website. This summary was last updated in 06-2015.

Pregabalin Sandoz GmbH

EMA/277981/2015

Page 3/3