NeuroTalk Support Groups - New AED/stabilizer up for FDA approval

Hi all,

following up on research regarding eslicarbazepine - a drug (AED) i ran across a couple years ago, ifound it is coming to fruition.... about nowish!

Sepracor Announces Submission of Stedesa New Drug Application to FDA for Adjunctive Treatment of Epilepsy

it has already been approved in Europe (not sure if on market yet though.)

for more articles on eslicarbazepine (Stedesa):

More articles on eslicarbazepine (Stedesa) at drugs.com

This drug is supposed to be really good with refractory partial seizures, and supposed to help with depression too (!), but it is unclear if the implication is helping with being depressed from having uncontrollable seizures (that's depressing! :() - OR - if it actually has antidepressant properties. What is unclear is whether non-epileptic depressed individuals were included in the trials. It is however implied that it shows potential both for epilepsy and affective disorders.

Another thing.
It is related to carbamazepine (Tegretol) and oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) so one might expect cross-sensitivity in individuals who have had issues with these two drugs. However, the structural difference of this drug does imply an improved safety profile, as well as different metabolic pathways than either carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine. Here's the abstract to a tech article on the drug, although from it i cannot deduce what the potential for any cross-sensitivity might be:

Eslicarbazepine Acetate (BIA 2-093)

Neurotherapeutics, Volume 4, Issue 1, Pages 88-96
L.ALMEIDA

Quote:

(EXCERPT from abstract - link just above)

It behaves as a voltage-gated sodium channel (VGSC) blocker and is currently under clinical development for the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder. ESL shares with carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine the dibenzazepine nucleus bearing the 5-carboxamide substitute, but is structurally different at the 10,11-position. This molecular variation results in differences in metabolism, preventing the formation of toxic epoxide metabolites such as carbamazepine-10,11 epoxide. In pharmacokinetic studies in humans, ESL was rapidly and extensively metabolized to eslicarbazepine (S-licarbazepine), which is responsible for pharmacological activity. ESL has been tested in patients with refractory partial-onset seizures and was found to be efficacious and well tolerated.

If i come up with anything else i will post.

Or if anyone else finds anything more specific, esp. regarding the cross-sensitivity, please add to the thread! :)

~ waves ~