Abbott Laboratories' tiagabine can reduce complex partial seizures in refractory epileptic patients by as much as 29%, according to the results of Phase III trials of the agent presented at the American Epilepsy Society meeting in New Orleans, USA, last month. The agent was also effective in reducing secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
Tiagabine is believed to exert its actions in epileptics by causing an overall increase in GABAergic transmission in the brain, which it achieves by inhibiting the reuptake of GABA from the synapse into the presynaptic neuron and thereby making it available to act on postsynaptic receptor sites for longer. GABA is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.
The Phase III study enrolled 322 patients, of whom 297 were eligible for assessment at the end of the study. 54 discontinued the trial due to adverse reactions. Patients were randomized to receive either placebo (n=91) or one of three doses of tiagabine; 16mg/day (n=61), 32mg/day (n=88), or 56mg/day (n=57). The agent was given in combination with the patient's usual anticonvulsant medication, which included carbamazepine, phenytoin, valproate, primidone and phenobarbitol.
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