Public release date: 11-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Andy McGlashen andy.mcglashen@cabs.msu.edu 517-355-5158 Michigan State University Peer support groups show promise for combating the debilitating stigma that surrounds epilepsy in much of the developing world, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University medical student. The researchers report in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior that young people with the disease felt significantly less stigmatized after meeting regularly to discuss their illness. While drugs are widely available to reduce epileptic seizures, the stigma and discrimination that arise from those seizures is a thornier problem, said Melissa Elafros, who is pursuing medical and doctoral degrees in MSU's Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. "In Africa a lot of people think epilepsy is contagious or associated with witchcraft," she said. "If you're told something often enough, you start to believe it's true. So people with epilepsy start to internalize that stigma." That feeling of shame leads some people to stop seeking treatment, Elafros said. Children with epilepsy often drop out of school, and some adults stop looking for work. Peer support groups have been shown to help with other kinds of stigma, so Elafros and colleagues decided to test … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/c5zwd6/zonegran) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Zonegran (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022" to their offering. PharmaPoint Drug Evaluation report, Zonegran (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by spontaneously occurring and recurrent seizures. The market is heavily driven by the sales of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) targeted at seizure reduction. The AED market is currently dominated by UCB's Keppra and GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal. Although both drugs have experienced significant generic erosion, they form the mainstay of epilepsy treatment in the nine markets and will continue to have significant market share during the forecast period. Other key drugs include older generation AEDs such as Pfizer's Dilantin, Abbott's Depakote, and Novartis' Tegretol and Trileptal which still have significant usage due to their longevity in the market. However, the AED dominance landscape will continue to shift towards newer generation drugs particularly following the recent market entry of GlaxoSmithKline's Trobalt/Potiga and Eisai's Fycompa which both offer first-in-class mechanisms of action. Zonegran (zonisamide) is an AED that was originally developed by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma and was launched under the brand name Excegran in Japan in 1989. It was initially … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/zn2tm5/vimpat_epilepsy) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Vimpat (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022" to their offering. PharmaPoint Drug Evaluation Report - Vimpat (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by spontaneously occurring and recurrent seizures. The market is heavily driven by the sales of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) targeted at seizure reduction. The AED market is currently dominated by UCB's Keppra and GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal. Although both drugs have experienced significant generic erosion, they form the mainstay of epilepsy treatment in the nine markets and will continue to have significant market share during the forecast period. Other key drugs include older generation AEDs such as Pfizer's Dilantin, Abbott's Depakote, and Novartis' Tegretol and Trileptal which still have significant usage due to their longevity in the market. However, the AED dominance landscape will continue to shift towards newer generation drugs particularly following the recent market entry of GlaxoSmithKline's Trobalt/Potiga and Eisai's Fycompa which both offer first-in-class mechanisms of action. Vimpat (lacosamide) is an AED developed by UCB that is currently indicated as an adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures in individuals over the age of 17. The … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/pvlcss/pharmapoint) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "PharmaPoint: Epilepsy - France Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022" to their offering. GlobalData has released its new Country report, PharmaPoint: Epilepsy - France Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by spontaneously occurring and recurrent seizures. The market is heavily driven by the sales of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) targeted at seizure reduction. The AED market is currently dominated by UCB's Keppra and GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal. Although both drugs have experienced significant generic erosion, they form the mainstay of epilepsy treatment in the nine markets and will continue to have significant market share during the forecast period. Other key drugs include older generation AEDs such as Pfizer's Dilantin, Abbott's Depakote, and Novartis' Tegretol and Trileptal which still have significant usage due to their longevity in the market. However, the AED dominance landscape will continue to shift towards newer generation drugs particularly following the recent market entry of GlaxoSmithKline's Trobalt/Potiga and Eisai's Fycompa which both offer first-in-class mechanisms of action. The main driver for growth in this market is the launch of new AEDs with novel MOAs and the lower-than-average rate … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/rzn4bq/fycompa) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Fycompa (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022" to their offering. New PharmaPoint Drug Evaluation Report - Fycompa (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by spontaneously occurring and recurrent seizures. The market is heavily driven by the sales of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) targeted at seizure reduction. The AED market is currently dominated by UCB's Keppra and GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal. Although both drugs have experienced significant generic erosion, they form the mainstay of epilepsy treatment in the nine markets and will continue to have significant market share during the forecast period. Other key drugs include older generation AEDs such as Pfizer's Dilantin, Abbott's Depakote, and Novartis' Tegretol and Trileptal which still have significant usage due to their longevity in the market. However, the AED dominance landscape will continue to shift towards newer generation drugs particularly following the recent market entry of GlaxoSmithKline's Trobalt/Potiga and Eisai's Fycompa which both offer first-in-class mechanisms of action. Fycompa (perampanel) is a first-in-class AMPA receptor antagonist indicated for the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures, with or without secondary generalization, in patients with epilepsy ages … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7k9ckd/lamictal) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "Lamictal (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022" to their offering. PharmaPoint Drug Evaluation report, Lamictal (Epilepsy) - Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by spontaneously occurring and recurrent seizures. The market is heavily driven by the sales of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) targeted at seizure reduction. The AED market is currently dominated by UCB's Keppra and GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal. Although both drugs have experienced significant generic erosion, they form the mainstay of epilepsy treatment in the nine markets and will continue to have significant market share during the forecast period. Other key drugs include older generation AEDs such as Pfizer's Dilantin, Abbott's Depakote, and Novartis' Tegretol and Trileptal which still have significant usage due to their longevity in the market. However, the AED dominance landscape will continue to shift towards newer generation drugs particularly following the recent market entry of GlaxoSmithKline's Trobalt/Potiga and Eisai's Fycompa which both offer first-in-class mechanisms of action. Lamictal is an anticonvulsant drug formulated as a tablet containing lamotrigine for oral administration. It was developed by GSK (then Glaxo Wellcome) and received FDA approval in December … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/j33cww/pharmapoint) has announced the addition of GlobalData's new report "PharmaPoint: Epilepsy - US Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022" to their offering. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by spontaneously occurring and recurrent seizures. The market is heavily driven by the sales of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) targeted at seizure reduction. The AED market is currently dominated by UCB's Keppra and GlaxoSmithKline's Lamictal. Although both drugs have experienced significant generic erosion, they form the mainstay of epilepsy treatment in the nine markets and will continue to have significant market share during the forecast period. Other key drugs include older generation AEDs such as Pfizer's Dilantin, Abbott's Depakote, and Novartis' Tegretol and Trileptal which still have significant usage due to their longevity in the market. However, the AED dominance landscape will continue to shift towards newer generation drugs particularly following the recent market entry of GlaxoSmithKline's Trobalt/Potiga and Eisai's Fycompa which both offer first-in-class mechanisms of action. The main drivers for growth in this market include the launch of new AEDs with novel MOAs; healthcare reform, which will increase treatment rates; and a growing elderly population with twice the risk of developing epilepsy. Scope - Overview … Continue reading →

Parents and advocates are begging Georgia lawmakers not to give up on a plan that would mandate insurance coverage for treatment of autism. Advocates for children with autism spent Monday in the state Capitol working to educate lawmakers on proven therapies that help children with the illness. People need to know that here at the Capitol, you've lost your voice. It's not being heard, Anna Bullard testified. Bullard spoke before a state Senate committee, pleading with lawmakers to pass "Avas Law," named after her daughter. Parents packed into the committee room, with crowds overflowing in the hallways of the Capitol. Its the fourth straight year they have tried to get lawmakers to pass the bill. Georgia would join 32 other states with a similar law on the books. Bullard said studies show almost half of the kids who receive early treatment wind up back on their proper grade level, just like her daughter. Bullard said it took her family and the entire community to pull together to provide the care Ava needs. Out-of-pocket expenses totaled more than $150,000. We do know the insurance companies put in a lot of money to legislators, it's public record, Bullard argued. For those hard-working … Continue reading →

Melissa Solares says her son Arturo is now attending a regular preschool thanks to intensive behavioral therapy. STORY HIGHLIGHTS (CNN) -- Eight-year-old Ava Bullard comes bounding out of the Georgia Senate chamber, a smile stretched from ear to ear. Ava's mother, Anna, bends down to talk to her daughter over the din in the hallway. Her own smile is all business, with a wink to the camera. "What did he say?" she asks, referring to state Sen. Tim Golden, head of the insurance committee. " Did you tell him we need a hearing?" "No," says Ava. "But I will!" This playful moment between mother and daughter would have been unimaginable just six years ago, when Ava was diagnosed with autism. Bullard's spirits were high because news had come that a committee hearing for Ava's Law had been scheduled. If passed, Ava's Law would require insurance companies to pay for "evidence-driven treatment" -- or treatment that's been scientifically shown to help kids with an autism spectrum disorder. The law would not affect the self-insured plans offered by bigger companies, which cover about 60% of insured people in the state, according to the Georgia Office of Insurance. Ava Bullard, 8, sits with … Continue reading →