By Fineline Cube 
Shanghai’s Sunshine Medical Procurement All-in-One (SMPA) has issued a notification resuming the procurement of UCB’s (EBR: UCB) Keppra (levetiracetam). This decision follows the suspension of Keppra’s import, sale, and use in August 2022 by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) due to inconsistencies in labeling expiration dates.
Levetiracetam Overview
Levetiracetam is a pyrrolidone derivative developed by UCB that binds to the synaptic vesicle protein SV2A in the brain. It plays a role in regulating neurotransmitter release by participating in vesicle aggregation and exocytosis. Keppra was approved in the US in 1999 and entered the Chinese market in 2007 for the treatment of partial seizures in adults and children with epilepsy over the age of four. UCB’s concentrated levetiracetam solution for injection was included in China’s third volume-based procurement (VBP) program.-Fineline Info & Tech