Early and aggressive treatment is crucial for the effective and efficient treatment of patients presenting with status epilepticus. This message was emphasised by presenters*at the American Society for Health-System Pharmacists' Annual Meeting [Minneapolis, US; June 1997]. The presenters believe that in order to improve both clinical and economic outcomes in status epilepticus, healthcare providers need to follow a predefined treatment protocol. They also believe that fosphenytoin can play a central role in the treatment algorithm.