title: Safety and efficacy of diazepam autoinjector for the management of epilepsy.
abstract: Benzodiazepines represent the first choice treatment of acute repetitive seizures, and diazepam is one of the main drugs administered to epileptic patients in the prehospital setting. Currently, Diazepam rectal gel is the only approved therapy for the outpatient management of seizures, but there is a growing need for alternative medications for terminating seizures that may be not only safe and effective but also socially acceptable. According to this, the autoinjector device appears to be a promising tool for the treatment of acute repetitive seizures. Recent studies comparing diazepam autoinjector (AI) with placebo suggest that diazepam AI could be a safe and effective option to treat acute repetitive seizures when administered by trained caregivers in outpatient settings. However, additional studies comparing diazepam AI with a standard treatment are necessary to define possible added benefits of this technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Perugia, Piazza Università 1, 06123, Perugia, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verrotti
authors.forename: Maddalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Milioni
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zaccara
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000278:Administration, Buccal; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003975:Diazepam
keywords: acute repetitive seizures; benzodiazepines; buccal midazolam; diazepam auto-injector; epilepsy; intranasal midazolam; rectal diazepam