Marinus Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced that its neurosteroid ganaxolone, which is being studied for use as a treatment for partial onset seizures (POS), is showing some promise in the open-label extension follow up to one of the company’s Phase 2 clinical trials.

The information is a replication of the effects which were seen in the double-blind study. The patients enrolled in the study showed that there was a decrease of 23.2 percent in how often they experienced seizures on a weekly basis. This information recently was presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES).

For this two-year study, researchers monitored 123 patients as they took the ganaxalone in doses of 1200-1500mg a day for two years as an additional means of therapy. The other therapies that were used in the study were other epilepsy drugs, which included lamotrigine, levetiracetam, carbamazepine and topiramate (Topamax). This study showed that “overall, there was a decrease of 23.2 percent in MWSF during the trial, and subjects (n=43) who had been on placebo in the double-blind study had a decrease in MWSF of 34.7%. Seventy percent of subjects had an improvement in their seizures during the study, and 24 percent had an improvement of 50 percent or more compared to baseline of the double-blind study.”

This news could prove ganaxalone to be a safer alternative to Topamax, which has been linked to birth defects in babies whose mothers took Topamax during the first trimester of pregnancy. This is significant since the first trimester of pregnancy is the time when women often don’t know that they are carrying a child. The birth defects linked to Topamax include oral clefts, cleft palate, PPHN and neural tube defects.

If your baby was born with birth defects after taking Topamax while pregnant, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you get the money that you are entitled to.