Published in:
01-07-2006 | Adis Drug Profile
Retigabine
In Partial Seizures
Published in: CNS Drugs | Issue 7/2006
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▲ Retigabine has anticonvulsant properties that appear to be primarily mediated by opening neuronal voltage-gated potassium channels. This action has been shown in neuronal KCNQ2/3 and KCNQ3/5 potassium channels. In addition to this unique action, retigabine also potentiates GABA-evoked currents in cortical neurons at high concentrations.
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▲ When used as adjunctive therapy in patients with partial seizures, retigabine 600–1200 mg/day (200–400mg three times daily) was associated with significant linear dose-dependent reductions in monthly seizure frequency compared with placebo in a large 16-week randomised phase II trial.
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▲ Median monthly seizure frequency decreased from baseline by up to 35% among patients in the retigabine treatment arms compared with 13% in the placebo group. Retigabine 1200 mg/day was also significantly more effective than retigabine 600 mg/day.
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▲ Responder rates, defined as the proportion of patients with ≥50% reduction in seizure frequency, were significantly higher among patients in the retigabine 900 and 1200 mg/day groups than in those who received placebo.
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▲ CNS-related adverse events were the most commonly reported treatment-emergent adverse events associated with retigabine in clinical trials. Across all three retigabine groups in the large phase II trial, somnolence (20.3%), dizziness (14.6%), confusion (12.3%) and speech disorder (11.3%) were the most frequent CNS-related adverse events.