A neurostimulation device developed to treat focal epilepsy has received breakthrough device designation from the FDA. Precisis AG’s Easee [Epicranial Application of Stimulation Electrodes] minimally invasive system is designed to deliver individualized brain stimulation without neurosurgery. The electrode is placed subcutaneously on the cranium and a current is applied to the affected brain area to prevent or mitigate seizures.
With an ambitious goal of bringing 24/7 electroencephalogram (EEG) capabilities to hospitals across the country, Epitel Inc. closed a $12.5 million series A financing round that it plans to use to fund the initial pilot for commercialization of its wearable, wireless EEG platform. The Epilog platform received FDA clearance for use in hospital emergency departments and critical care units last year.
UCB SA has unveiled plans to acquire Zogenix Inc. in a deal worth up to $1.9 billion (€1.7 billion), adding to its portfolio an approved drug aimed at rare forms of epilepsy. Brussels-based UCB will pay $26 per share in cash for the Emeryville, Calif.-based biotech, plus a contingent value right of $2 per share, which would pay out upon approval of the oral drug Fintepla (fenfluramine) for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
Nextsense Inc. reported partnerships with global biopharma company UCB SA, Heraus Holding GmbH, the University of California San Diego and Emory University at its first public appearance at the American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting in Chicago this past weekend. The Nextsense platform uses biosensing earbuds to perform ongoing electroencephalograms (EEGs).
Dublin – Shares in Combigene AB, a little-known Swedish gene therapy firm, surged upward by 172% Oct. 12 on news of a preclinical licensing deal in epilepsy with Spark Therapeutics, which is potentially worth $328.5 million.
LONDON – Fixed and constant deep brain stimulation has been successful in treating Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy, but heterogeneity in individual response means that despite promise, clinical studies in serious depression have to date delivered inconsistent results. U.S. researchers have now developed a method for identifying the neural circuits underlying symptoms of depression in individual patients and applied this to deliver tailored therapy, using a commercially available device to stimulate the brain when these circuits are activated.
A cloud-based web application for long-term brain monitoring has received a CE mark to support personalized management of neuro-disorders such as epilepsy. Developed by Swiss neuroscience research organization Wyss Center, Epios Cloud displays and reviews electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings made by EEG devices using scalp and sub-scalp electrodes, heart rate and accelerometer measurements.
Investigators working at Gladstone Institutes reported new insights into sleep disturbances and seizures that can be a late consequence of even mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and how we may one day best treat these conditions by targeting the complement pathway.
Zhejiang Jingxin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has in-licensed JBPOS-0101, a class I new drug for epilepsy, from Bio-Pharm Solutions Co. Ltd. for mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The partnership could bring South Korea’s Bio-Pharm more than $40 million, including an up-front payment of $5 million, milestone payments of up to $35 million, and potential royalties on future sales.
The U.K.’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has accused Pfizer Inc., together with a smaller U.K. player, of illegally overcharging the National Health Service (NHS) for the anti-epilepsy drug branded Epanutin (phenytoin sodium) before it went off patent in 2012.
