An investigational antiseizure medication, called XEN1101, may offer hope for patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy. A study that examined the efficacy and safety of the new drug revealed it may reduce seizures by more than 50% and in some cases, even eliminate them.
Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine tested XEN1101 in a clinical trial involving 325 patients with focal onset seizures. The findings of the study were published in Jama Network.
The new drug when used with the participants’ current antiseizure treatments showed a 33 to 53% drop in monthly seizures, depending on the dosage. It can be administered at its most effective dosage from the beginning, unlike other drugs that require gradual initiation with low doses, researchers claimed.
XEN1101 belongs to a class of chemicals called potassium-channel openers that function by boosting the flow of potassium out of nerves, effectively preventing them from firing. The drug, developed by Xenon Pharmaceuticals, is currently in phase 3 clinical trials and is not approved for use in the U.S. outside of a clinical trial.
“Our findings show that XEN1101 may offer a swift, safe, and effective way to treat focal epilepsy. These promising results offer hope for those who have struggled for decades to get their symptoms under control,” Jacqueline A. French, a neurologist and the study’s lead author, said in a news release.
Focal onset is the most common type of seizure seen in people with epilepsy, which begins in one side of the brain when nerve cells send out a sudden, excessive burst of electrical signals.
Antiseizure medications are an important part of epilepsy treatment to control or reduce seizures. A person is considered to have drug-resistant epilepsy when they fail to stay seizure-free even after trials of two antiseizure medications.
The latest study included participants who had tried an average of six antiseizure drugs that failed to treat their focal seizures. All participants had at least four…
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