Novel antiepileptic and anticonvulsive therapeutic agents

Epilepsy is a broad-reaching central nervous system condition and the underlying pathology suggests a number of pharmacological pathways that can be targeted for drug therapy. These include ion channel modulation, historically the most investigated therapeutic approach, as well as regulation of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. A broad range of drugs that act at each of these targets has been marketed, and promising new drug candidates are being developed constantly. In addition, new drug candidates with novel mechanisms of action are beginning to emerge. This review covers patent literature with the indication for epilepsy between January 2001 and March 2002, and includes brief overviews and backgrounds on currently used anti-epileptic and anticonvulsive drugs.