WASHINGTON, Jan 17, 2000 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Representatives of
the Epilepsy Foundation said today that the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration's clearance of oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), a new
anticonvulsant medication, could benefit many thousands of epilepsy
patients who continue to struggle with seizures and side effects from
standard medications and others who are newly-diagnosed and are just
beginning treatment.
"Uncontrolled seizures often have a severe domino effect on a person's
life," said Martha Morrell, MD, Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation's
board of directors. "Partial seizures are among the most difficult to
bring under control with existing treatments. We're very pleased that
physicians now have a new treatment option, with potentially fewer side
effects, to help manage these seizures in children and adults."
The FDA cleared oxcarbazepine for use alone in adults or in combination
with other epilepsy medications in adults and children as young as four
years of age in the treatment of partial seizures. The medication was
developed by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation.
Morrell, who is Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center at
Columbia Presbyterian Center of New York -- Presbyterian Hospital, and
Professor of Clinical Neurology at Columbia University College of
Physicians & Surgeons, added that "Today's announcement brings new hope
for thousands who may be helped by this drug."
In a related statement, Steven C. Schachter, MD, Chair of the
Foundation's professional advisory board said, "Trileptal is a welcome
and major addition to the arsenal for fighting seizures. Every week the
Foundation receives calls and letters from families desperate for new
therapies and from others who have just been diagnosed. Even a single
seizure can mean the loss of driving privileges and loss of employment,
as well as other social difficulties and economic hardships. With
seizure control comes the opportunity for a normal life. It's
gratifying to know that Trileptal is now cleared for the benefit of
patients in this country."
Partial seizures affect between 50 and 70 percent of persons with
epilepsy and are especially common in adults. Seizures are produced by
brief disturbances of electrical activity in the brain. Partial
seizures happen when the disturbance is focused within a limited region
of the brain. Such seizures may progress into generalized (convulsive)
seizures as the disturbance spreads and involves the entire brain.
According to a recent study sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation, 2.3
million Americans have epilepsy, and 181,000 new cases of seizures and
epilepsy occur each year. Approximately 500,000 epilepsy patients
receive medical care that successfully controls their seizures. Roughly
one million get incomplete relief, and almost 600,000 still have
seizures that do not respond to existing therapies.
The Epilepsy Foundation, with national offices in metropolitan
Washington, D.C. and a network of affiliates throughout the nation, is
the non-profit volunteer agency devoted to research, education,
advocacy and services in the community for people with seizure
disorders and their families.
