The European Commission has approved the expansion of the use of UCB’s VIMPAT (lacosamide) to include monotherapy and adjunctive therapy of partial-onset (focal) seizures in children aged 4 years and older. This approval adds a new option to help manage childhood epilepsy and follows a favorable review from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). “Pediatric patients with focal seizures can still experience poor seizure control with currently available treatment options, along with a reduced quality of life,” said Alex ..read more

Pairnomix has joined efforts with StemoniX to develop a lab-based model of epileptic seizures using so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The model, which researchers refer to as a “seizure-in-a-dish” model system, will allow scientists to study seizures at a network level. In this way, they can use the model to screen for anti-epileptic drugs in a fast and easy manner. Minneapolis-based Pairnomix has expertise in epilepsy models, while San Diego-based StemoniX has developed the microBrain Platform. The model mirrors tissue architecture in the brain, with nerve cells connecti ..read more

Doctors have several anti-seizure options to treat epilepsy, but little data exists to show which of these treatments is best for children. Nevertheless, according to a recent study on therapies prescribed for children under 3 with epilepsy, doctors in the U.S. appear to prefer Keppra (levetiracetam) as either a first or second option for treatment. The study, “Initial Treatment for Non-Syndromic Early-Life Epilepsy: an Unexpected Consensus,” was published online in Pediatric Neurology. The study notes that when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a new medicine, it’s up ..read more

The European Medicines Agency has scheduled an unprecedented public hearing in September on whether epilepsy therapies that contain sodium valproate pose a risk to pregnant women. It will be the first time the European Union’s drug-regulating agency will make a hearing part of a therapy review process. The event is scheduled for Sept. 26 at its offices in London. Hearings can give government agencies insight into people’s thoughts about sensitive topics. Here is a video on the process. The European Medicines Agency’s safety committee scheduled the event ..read more

A technique called MRI-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MgLiTT) may be a potential treatment for epilepsy patients, according to a recent review. Researchers say that MgLiTT may be a particularly viable option for patients whose seizures are caused by tumor-like bodies affecting the hypothalamus, which are difficult to treat with traditional surgery. The review, titled “Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Epilepsy,” was published in the journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports. According to the review’s authors, 39 percent of new epilepsy cases are resistant to drug tre ..read more

The National Institutes of Health has awarded a $3.4 million grant to a Cleveland Clinic-led research collaboration whose objective is to come up with a more comprehensive model for predicting epilepsy surgery outcomes. Dr. Lara Jehi of the Cleveland Clinic, who received the grant, will head the multi-center research team’s effort to develop an updated version of a predictive tool known as a nomogram. The work will build on a model that a Cleveland Clinic researcher originally developed. The research team will use medical records of 450 patients in their study. It will come fro ..read more

Researchers studied the medical records of patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy who underwent surgery for the disorder at the age of 50 or older and found that the treatment was as effective as it was for patients younger than 50. However, there was a higher risk of complications from the procedure. The study, “Epilepsy surgery in patients older than 50 years: Effectiveness, safety, and predictors of outcome,” will be published in the journal Seizure in August. The study of outcomes of surgery for the treatment of drug-resistant focal epilepsy has been been extensive in ..read more

An ultra-marathon cyclist with epilepsy has broken world indoor-track records for the longest distances covered in six and eight hours. Katie Ford dedicated the records she broke on July 2 at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow’s Emirates Arena to raising epilepsy awareness. The Glasgow rider covered just over 190 miles in 12 hours on the track. In addition to the six- and eight-hour distance records, she broke Britain’s fastest 100-mile indoor time and the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association’s 12-hour indoor track distance record. Ford, who began experiencing convulsions at the a ..read more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved LivaNova’s VNS Therapy Systems for the treatment of drug-resistant partial onset epileptic seizures in children as young as 4, making it the only approved device for treating refractory epilepsy in children. “Epilepsy can be a very trying and debilitating disease that can hold a child back from reaching his or her full potential,” Damien McDonald, LivaNova’s CEO, said in a press release. “Children with frequent seizures require urgent and careful treatment to prevent further delay in their development. The data from several st ..read more

The epilepsy therapy known as Zebinix in Europe and Aptiom in the United States does not impair cognition in children, a Phase 2 clinical trial indicates. Children with focal epilepsy who received the treatment had roughly the same ability to pay attention and process information, and about the same working memory, as children who were not treated, researchers said. Researchers from the Portuguese company Bial and its Japanese partner Eisai presented the results at the European Paediatric Neurology Society Congress in Lyon, France, June 20-24. “Childhood and adolescence are cri ..read more