Author Archives: Ana Pena, PhD

A new small molecule was seen to stimulate certain brain receptors, called NMDA receptors, and lessen abnormal brain epileptic activity in mouse models of Dravet syndrome and Alzheimer’s disease. The treatment also helped mice recover part of their learning and memory abilities, the research team that developed the…

Daily treatment with Fintepla (a low-dose oral solution of fenfluramine), an investigational therapy by Zogenix, significantly reduces seizure frequency in children and teenagers with Dravet syndrome while demonstrating safety, according to a merged analysis of two Phase 3 trials. When given daily in addition to existing antiepileptic…

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE), an arm of U.K.’s public health system, favors use of the oral cannabidiol solution Epidyolex as an add-on to clobazam to treat seizures associated with Dravet syndrome and Lennox Gastaut syndrome (LGS) in patients in England starting…

Ovid Therapeutics‘ investigational treatment soticlestat (OV935/5/TAK935) was found to progressively reduce seizure frequency — by up to 90% — in adults with rare and hard-to-treat epilepsies, including Dravet syndrome, after one year of treatment, according to preliminary data from the ENDYMION study. Topline results from the…

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) occurs more frequently during early evening and is significantly prevented by prolonged use of the ketogenic diet, research in a mouse model of Dravet syndrome (DS) suggests. The reasons why this happens are unclear, and should be examined in more depth by future studies, but…

ZX008, an experimental therapy for Dravet syndrome, was found to be well-tolerated and can be administered regardless of food intake, according to clinical results of a study in healthy volunteers. The findings mean that ZX008 likely will be easier to…

Cannabis-based experimental therapies currently under research, in particular Epidiolex, show significant promise to treat therapy-resistant epilepsy, including Dravet syndrome, according to a recent review. The report “Investigational cannabinoids in seizure disorders, what have we learned thus…

ZX008’s mechanism of action may avoid the side effects caused by other antiepileptic treatments, preclinical research suggests. The potential treatment is also being studied in a series of pivotal clinical trials. A study based on this research, “Fenfluramine diminishes NMDA…

Treatment with topiramate (Topomax), lacosamide (Vimpat) and carbamazepine enabled a young woman with Dravet syndrome to potentially stop having seizures and eased her behavioral problems, according to a case report. The study, “Retracing…

Researchers have identified two significant factors that can help predict cognitive outcomes in Dravet syndrome patients: Longer  treatment with antiepileptics that block sodium channels, and being younger when the first afebrile seizure occurs. The study “Influence of contraindicated…