News

Nighttime monitoring devices are used by most Dravet syndrome caregivers — at least 75% — to detect seizures and prevent sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, or SUDEP, according to the results of a questionnaire-based study in Germany. Such monitoring is important because, statistics show, children with Dravet have…

Newer antiseizure medications for children and adolescents with Dravet syndrome outperformed placebos and reduced seizure frequency by at least 50% in clinical trials, according to a pooled analysis of study data. The review also compared the benefits and safety of such therapies, each of which is approved in the…

People with Dravet syndrome due to mutations in the SCN1A gene are more frequently affected by gastrointestinal and eating problems than those with other SCN1A-associated disorders, according to a study from the Netherlands. More than three-quarters of Dravet patients were reported to be experiencing two or more such issues, compared…

Most children with Dravet syndrome receive their diagnosis before they are a year old, and about seven months from the onset of their symptoms, according to a global survey of new caregivers. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of caregivers change physicians within the first four years, mainly due to…

The frequency of seizures decreased substantially for most children with medication-resistant epileptic disorders such as Dravet syndrome at a Chinese center after they were put on the ketogenic diet. It was fairly common for the seizures to reappear after a few months, however. “The findings suggest that the…

A case report from China describes a man who was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome at age 29, following an epileptic seizure that significantly worsened his walking and motor difficulties. This decline eased after one week, but “recurrent epileptic seizures contribute in some way to the development of gait and…

During clinical trials, side effects are more common in people who use cannabidiol (CBD) to treat some forms of epilepsy, including Dravet syndrome, than in people on a placebo, according to a recent study. Those side effects ranged from mild to severe and could be serious enough to make…

Fintepla (fenfluramine) significantly reduces seizure frequency in children and adolescents with Dravet syndrome who experience hard-to-treat seizures, according to new Phase 3 trial data. These findings add to positive results from other Fintepla Phase 3 trials, further supporting the benefits of the approved add-on therapy for this…

Longboard Pharmaceuticals has finished enrolling patients in PACIFIC, its Phase 1b/2a clinical study of LP352, an investigational oral serotonin receptor agonist for Dravet syndrome and other types of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). With 52 patients enrolled in 30 sites in the U.S. and Australia, the study’s main…

Epidiolex (cannabidiol) reduces the frequency of seizures for most people with Dravet syndrome and also leads to gains in cognitive function, communication, and behavior for many patients, according to a study based on interviews with caregivers. “Caregivers’ Perspectives on the Impact of Cannabidiol (CBD) Treatment for Dravet…