Eisai publishes positive data from Zonegran trial

Eisai has published positive data from a new phase III study of Zonegran, its developmental anti-seizure treatment.

Data from the double-blind, randomised, multicentre study has shown that the treatment can deliver similar levels of efficacy to carbamazepine in preventing seizures among newly diagnosed epilepsy patients.

In doing so, the drug was able to meet its primary study goal of non-inferiority to the control therapy, which is considered the current gold standard in terms of efficacy.

Eisai is now hoping to use results from this clinical study to support its efforts to secure EU regulatory approval of Zonegran as a first-line monotherapy.

Michel Baulac at the Hopital de la Pitie-Salpetriere in Paris said: "It is important to develop new options and zonisamide would be a promising addition in the monotherapy armamentarium."

This comes after another new Eisai epilepsy drug, perampanel, was accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency last month.