Salute e Benessere
New insights highlight unmet needs for people living with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and significant burden of the disease
These findings underline the need for new treatments that can target both drug-resistant seizures and the non-seizure symptoms of LGS.
Dr Konrad Werhahn , Global Medical Affairs, UCB, said: "The impact of LGS goes beyond seizures and can include severe cognitive impairment, communication difficulties, psychiatric symptoms, behavioral challenges, and mobility problems, all of which constitute a major burden for patients and their caregivers/families. At UCB, we understand the need for a multidisciplinary, individualized approach to care which addresses each patient's medical, educational, psychological, and social needs throughout the course of their life."
LGS affects approximately one million people worldwide. However, diagnosis remains complex and challenging due to the lack of specific biological markers for the condition, multiple possible causes, and varied presentation of symptoms.
Although several approved drugs are available for LGS, there are still unmet needs for treatment. These drugs provide an improvement, but usually not with a sustained long-term effect, resulting in a need for novel therapies which effectively target seizures and alleviate non-seizure outcomes to enhance the prognosis for patients with LGS.
In addition, at the 15th European Epilepsy Congress, details of a new LGS electronic decision-assisting tool based on International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) diagnostic criteria were presented. Developed by a group of ten epilepsy experts, its digitalization has been funded by UCB (with no influence on its content), the tool is designed to help physicians evaluate the likelihood that their patient has LGS. The questionnaire considers the mandatory, alert, and exclusionary features of LGS, providing a result that will guide future management. The prototype will now be tested and validated prior to use by healthcare professionals in the clinical setting.
UCB, Brussels, Belgium ( www.ucb.com ) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With approximately 9,000 people in approximately 40 countries, the company generated revenue of €5.3 billion in 2023. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Twitter: @UCB_news .
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