FDA thumbs up for Sunovion's Aptiom as once-daily adjunctive for partial-onset seizures

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Sunovion Pharmaceutical’s (a subsidiary of Japanese drug major Dainippon Sumitomo; TYO: 4506) Aptiom (eslicarbazepine acetate) as an add-on medication to treat seizures associated with epilepsy.

"Some patients with epilepsy do not achieve satisfactory seizure control from existing treatments," said Eric Bastings, acting director of the FDA's Division of Neurology Products, adding: "It is important we continue to make new treatment options available to patients.”.

Aptiom is approved for the treatment of partial seizures, the most common type of seizure seen in people with epilepsy. Seizures can cause a wide range of symptoms, including repetitive limb movements, unusual behavior and generalized convulsions with loss of consciousness. Seizures can have serious consequences, including injury and death.

Epilepsy affects nearly 2.2 million people in USA