Role of new and established antiepileptic drugs.
Role of new and established antiepileptic drugs.
复制标题
新的和已建立的抗癫痫药物的作用。
DOI:
10.1111/j.1528-1157.1998.tb05141.x
复制
发表时间:
1998
期刊:
影响因子:
5.6
通讯作者:
Leppik,IE
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Leppik,IE
Before bromide was introduced in 1857 (l), there were no effective treatments for epilepsy, although many po-tions and concoctions were used. Phenobarbital (PB) was introduced in 1912, the ketogenic diet in 1922 and, in 1938, the year phenytoin (PHT) was introduced, one of the marketed remedies for epilepsy,“Gelineau Drag-Ces,” consisted of bromide, arsenic, and picrotoxin. All these treatments were used empirically and were not subjected to animal testing for safety and efficacy before being used in humans. PHT was the first antiepileptic drug (AED) to be tested in animals for efficacy and safety, which demonstrated the power of the scientific approach in discovering new drugs for the treatment of epilepsy. Since then, the pace of progress in developing new drugs and understanding their mechanisms of action has accelerated. This has led to more choices in many countries in the treatment options for epilepsy. However, due to regulatory issues, there remain great differences between countries in approval for use of these substances. For example, zonisamide (ZNS) is available only in Japan and Korea, whereas felbamate (FBM), gabapentin (GBP), lamotrigine (LTG), tiagabine (TGB), topiramate (TPM), and vigabatrin (VGB) are available in most developed countries. The present review was stimulated by a presentation to the Japanese Epilepsy Society in September 1997 and focuses on the new agents not yet available in Japan. In addition, it places in perspective the role of established AEDs now that many options are available. I prefer the term established, rather than “old” because, except for PHT, all of the widely used AEDs are younger than I.Selection of the appropriate AED is not a simple process. AEDs differ significantly in their mechanisms of action and consequently in their clinical efficacy in specific epilepsy syndromes (Table 1). It is no longer sufficient to recognize the presence of epiIepsy in a patient and prescribe just any AED. For appropriate treatment, one must identify the epilepsy syndrome using EEG cri-