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New AED perampanel approved
Epilepsy Society welcomes the news that Fycompa (perampanel) has been approved as an add-on treatment for people with partial-onset seizures. The epilepsy drug has been approved by the European Commission (EC).
Seizure generation
Around a third of people with epilepsy struggle to gain seizure control and new treatment options offer hope for the future. Discovered and developed by Eisai in Europe and Japan, perampanel is currently the only approved anti-epileptic drug (AED) to selectively target AMPA receptors. These play a central role in the generation and spread of seizures.
Epileptic seizures are primarily mediated by the neurotransmitter glutamate. As an AMPA receptor antagonist, perampanel selectively targets the transmission of seizures by blocking the effects of glutamate.
This mechanism which is different to that of current AEDs, means that perampanel is the first approved AED in this new class of treatment.
New treatment option
‘Improving seizure control is one the most pressing concerns in the care of people with epilepsy,’ commented Professor Bernhard Steinhoff, professor of neurology and medical director at Epilepsy Centre, Kehl-Kork, Germany.
‘The European approval of perampanel is exciting as it represents a completely new option for doctors to use in the fight against uncontrolled partial epileptic seizures. The epilepsy community is eagerly anticipating the availability of a new AED with unique mode of action.’
