Episode 158: Bexicaserin, the PACIFIC Trial, and Treating Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathies

Episode 158 of the NeurologyLive^® Mind Moments^® podcast is now live! Scroll down to listen or click here to subscribe on your favorite streaming service.

The Mind Moments podcast features exclusive interviews with leaders in the field discussing the latest research and disease management strategies across the breadth of neurology, including epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson disease, dementia, sleep disorders, and more.

In this episode, "Bexicaserin, the PACIFIC Trial, and Treating Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathies," Johannes Streffer, MD, PhD, discusses phase 1/2 findings from the PACIFIC trial evaluating bexicaserin in developmental epileptic encephalopathies, presented at the American Epilepsy Society 2025 Annual Meeting. Streffer, senior vice president of clinical development at Lundbeck, outlines the scientific and clinical rationale for studying DEEs as a unified population, emphasizing the unmet need and complexity of trial design in this highly vulnerable group. He reviews key efficacy outcomes, including sustained reductions in countable motor seizures and strong patient retention through long-term open-label extension and expanded access follow-up. The discussion also explores safety and tolerability considerations in patients receiving multiple concomitant antiseizure medications, the highly selective mechanism of action of bexicaserin, and how Lundbeck’s broader strategy in rare neurological disorders aims to de-risk development early while addressing populations with limited therapeutic options.

The stories featured in this week’s Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here:

• Remyelinating Agent PIPE-307 Falls Short in Phase 2 Trial of Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis
• Semaglutide Linked to Improved Neurological Outcomes in Large Vessel Occlusion Without IV Thrombolysis
• FDA Approves Generic Glatiramer Acetate Injection for Multiple Sclerosis Treatment

EPISODE BREAKDOWN

• 1:05 – Rationale for studying developmental epileptic encephalopathies as a unified group
• 3:05 – Challenges of trial design and retention in vulnerable pediatric DEE populations
• 5:25 – Key PACIFIC efficacy findings and long-term open-label extension results
• 7:05 – Neurology News Minute
• 9:15 – Safety, tolerability, and drug-drug interaction considerations for bexicaserin
• 11:20 – Lundbeck's strategy across rare and severe neurological disorders

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