India Pharma Outlook Team | Wednesday, 16 September 2026
Alkem’s NeuCeno brings cenobamate to Indian patients and opens a new option for adults living with partial-onset seizures.
The company launches the once-daily anti-seizure medication as the first availability of cenobamate in India.
Nearly 9.4 million people in the country live with epilepsy, and a significant proportion continue to experience uncontrolled seizures despite existing treatments.
These uncontrolled seizures disrupt independence, daily functioning, and overall quality of life. NeuCeno now enters the market as a test of how a newer-generation anti-seizure medicine can reach patients who still struggle for better control.
India carries a heavy epilepsy burden. According to estimates, more than 15 million people in India live with epilepsy. Multiple anti-seizure medications already exist, yet a large share of patients fail to achieve adequate seizure control.
NeuCeno (cenobamate) acts through a dual mechanism. It selectively inhibits the persistent sodium current that drives repetitive neuronal firing. At the same time it enhances the brain’s natural inhibitory signaling through positive modulation of GABA-A receptors. The drug calms overactive brain cells by reducing the electrical signals that cause repeated firing.
The medicine comes as a once-daily oral tablet in six strengths:
Randomized clinical studies examined adults with uncontrolled focal seizures who already took other anti-seizure medications. Adjunctive cenobamate produced up to a 78 percent reduction in seizure frequency.
Up to 30 percent of patients achieved seizure freedom during the maintenance phase. These outcomes give clinicians clearer evidence when they consider adding the medicine for patients who still experience breakthrough seizures.
Sandeep Singh, managing director of Alkem Laboratories, highlights the daily challenges patients and caregivers face. He states that cenobamate has the potential to transform treatment outcomes and deliver better epilepsy management.
Alkem believes patients deserve access to advanced treatment options that address unmet medical needs. With the launch of NeuCeno, the company reaffirms its commitment to improving patient care and supporting healthcare professionals in treatment decisions for adults living with partial-onset seizures.
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The introduction of NeuCeno expands the set of available anti-seizure medications in India. Because many patients continue to experience uncontrolled seizures, any medicine that demonstrates substantial reductions in frequency and the possibility of seizure freedom carries practical importance.
The once-daily dosing and multiple strength options give doctors flexibility when they tailor therapy. Alkem has not disclosed the market price of NeuCeno. The company simply makes the product available in the listed strengths for adult patients with partial-onset seizures.
The launch places a newer dual-mechanism anti-seizure option into the hands of Indian clinicians. For the large number of people whose seizures remain uncontrolled, NeuCeno represents one more step toward better management and improved daily functioning.
