New antiepileptic drugs for children: felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and vigabatrin.
After a 15-year hiatus, several new antiepileptic drugs have been approved or are under Food and Drug Administration investigation for use in the United States. This article reviews four of these new drugs--felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, and vigabatrin. Although these drugs have been primarily developed for use in adults with partial seizures, they will also likely be used in children with partial epilepsy. Pediatric experience with several of these drugs has demonstrated safety and efficacy in other seizure types and epilepsy syndromes. These drugs will be an important addition to the therapeutic armamentarium for pediatric epilepsy. Additional studies are needed to fully explore the safety and efficacy of these drugs in a variety of pediatric epilepsies and to compare them to existing antiepileptic drugs.
Devinsky
O
O
Department of Neurology, New York University School of Medicine, Hospital for Joint Diseases, NY 10003.
Vazquez
B
B
Luciano
D
D
D000085:Acetates / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000588:Amines; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D017277:Drug Approval; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000078328:Felbamate; D000077206:Gabapentin; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D048448:Phenylcarbamates; D011409:Propylene Glycols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014227:Triazines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration; D020888:Vigabatrin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000085:Acetates; D000588:Amines; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003509:Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; D048448:Phenylcarbamates; D011409:Propylene Glycols; D014227:Triazines; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000077206:Gabapentin; D020888:Vigabatrin; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D000078328:Felbamate