CURE Epilepsy is dedicated to funding patient-focused research to find a cure for the 65 million people with epilepsy worldwide. This month, we share the following articles and abstracts which are furthering the study of epilepsy and bringing the world closer to a cure.

Long-term use of cenabomate (brand name Xcopri) was safe and effective at reducing seizures in adults with uncontrolled focal seizures, according to results of a recent study featuring the work of CURE Epilepsy grantee Dr. Pavel Klein and his colleagues. These researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of cenobamate and assessed data from 355 adult patients with focal seizures that were uncontrolled despite being treated with up to three antiseizure medications (ASMs). According to Dr. Klein, lead study author and epileptologist at Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center in Bethesda, Maryland, “The study shows that a significant proportion of patients with uncontrolled epilepsy continue to remain seizure-free or have at least 90% reduction for a period of time that sustained over the duration of the study — for years.”

The number of activated microglia — the brain’s resident immune cells which get ‘turned on’ as a part of the body’s immune response system — are significantly increased by the time seizures start to occur in a mouse model of infantile Batten disease, a group of rare, fatal genetic disorders, also known as CLN1 disease, a study shows. Suppressing a protein called P2X7R, which is mainly found on the surface of microglia, significantly reduced the number and total duration of seizures in these mice. These findings suggest that microglia activation contributes to the development of seizures in infantile Batten disease, and its suppression may be a new therapeutic avenue for this condition.

A new study reports steadily rising costs for brand-name antiseizure medications (ASMs). Researchers found the cost of a one-year's pill supply of brand-name epilepsy drugs skyrocketed by 277% from 2010 to 2018 -- from roughly $2,800 a year between 2008 and 2010 to about $10,700 a year by 2018. By contrast, the cost of a one-year's pill supply of generic drugs for epilepsy decreased by 42% over the same period. According to the study, brand-name drugs represented 79% of epilepsy drug costs, even though they comprised only 14% of prescriptions. Doctors and patients need to be aware of increased costs for brand-name medications compared with generic equivalents, noted the study’s authors.