Jacqueline A. French, MD: Cenobamate's Future Impact in Seizure Control

“The data support a significant number of patients not only having a reduction in seizures but having complete seizure freedom over some prolonged period of time. As epileptologists, that’s quite exciting to us because the number of patients who actually become seizure-free is relatively small in any of the cohorts that go into clinical trials.”

Jacqueline A. French, MD, professor of neurology, NYU Langone Medical Center, and colleagues presented a number of data on cenobamate at the 73rd annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES), December 6-10, 2019, in Baltimore, Maryland. The data of the SK Life Science product—interim analyses of 2 open-label extension studies of adjunctive use—confirm the drug’s safe and tolerable profile as well as its sustained efficacy across long-term treatment in patients with uncontrolled focal seizures.^1,2

After the FDA recently approved cenobamate for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults, it is now anticipated to become available in Q2 2020 following scheduling review by the DEA. These long-term safety data were collected from the ongoing open-label extension study of phase 2, double-blind, 12-week, placebo-controlled trial (NCT01397968).¹

To find out more about what the data reveal, NeurologyLive sat with French at AES 2019 to discuss cenobamate’s potential as a treatment option for patients who have uncontrolled seizures, as well as its ability to bring a high number of toward complete seizure freedom.

For more coverage of AES 2019, click here.

REFERENCES

1. French JA, Chung SS, Krauss GL, et al. Long-term safety of adjunctive cenobamate in patients with uncontrolled focal seizures: open-label extension of a randomized clinical study. Presented at: 2019 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting. December 6-10, 2019; Baltimore, Maryland. Abstract 3.297.

2. Klein P, Krauss GL, Aboumatar S, Kamin M. Long-term efficacy and safety of adjunctive cenobamate in patients with uncontrolled focal seizures: open-label extension of a randomized clinical study. Presented at: 2019 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting. December 6-10, 2019; Baltimore, Maryland. Abstract 2.206.