New AEDs with broader therapeutic uses

Many antiepileptic drugs currently under development may also have a role in non-epileptic CNS disorders, providing both a "scientific and economic incentive" for their development.Speaking at the World Congress of Neurology, Professor Meir Bialer from Israel listed ten new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) introduced in the last decade. With their introduction, clinicians have had a larger choice of agents at their disposal, which has allowed them to tailor drug therapy to individual patients. However, around a third of epileptic patients are still not seizure-free, and there is a need to develop new agents. Dr Bialer said, "In this respect the new AEDs thus far developed, are not completely effective, in that altogether seizure-free status is achieved in no more than 15-20% of previously refractory patients."New AEDs are currently undergoing evaluation in clinical trials. Some are new chemical structures, designed to widen CNS activity and improve efficacy or tolerability. Others have been derived from existing AEDs and can be regarded as second-generation or follow-up compounds that have been developed to either enhance brain penetration or reduce toxicity compared to the parent compound.Dr Bialer suggested that there is both a "scientific and economic incentive" to develop an AED that has a broad use: "Currently developed, new AEDs should also have a potential in non-epileptic CNS disorders such as neuropathic pain, migraine prophylaxis and bipolar disorders. This will triple the market potential of any new AED and will make its costly development worthwhile even though ten new AEDs have entered the market in the last decade." Written from AbstractReference...