Brugada Syndrome

PARAMUS, N.J., April 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- SK Life Science, Inc., a global leader in developing treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and a subsidiary of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., will present meaningful encore data on XCOPRI® (cenobamate tablets) CV, an anti-seizure medication, at the 77th American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, taking place April 5-9, 2025, in San Diego, California. This presentation reinforces the growing body of clinical and real-world evidence supporting cenobamate's role in reducing seizure activity and optimizing epilepsy management. "Our goal at SK Life Science is to redefine seizure management by advancing research and education that translates into meaningful improvements for people living with epilepsy," said Louis Ferrari, BS, RPh, MBA, vice president, Medical Affairs at SK Life Science, Inc. "Seizure freedom remains an elusive, yet critical, objective for many patients, and this research offers valuable insights into how RNS data can be used as an objective measure to assess the efficacy of XCOPRI, and possibly other add-on anti-seizure medications." At AAN 2025, SK Life Science will highlight the impact of cenobamate on RNS epileptiform events. A retrospective, multicenter, observational, 24-week study among 37 patients with uncontrolled seizures showed a meaningful reduction in epileptiform events and clinically reported seizures during adjunctive cenobamate treatment. Results from this analysis support, through electrocorticographic data and observation of clinical seizures, the effectiveness of cenobamate in the treatment of focal seizures. Additional clinical and real-world data exploring cenobamate's efficacy, safety, and therapeutic potential in diverse patient populations will also be presented. Select SK Life Science posters presented at 2025 AAN include: Title: The Effect of Cenobamate on Responsive Neurostimulation Epileptiform Events (Aboumatar et al) Session: P5: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG): Neuromodulation Devices and Seizure Tracking Date/Time: Monday, April 7, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. PT Abstract Number: 2991 Title: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Adjunctive Cenobamate in Asian Patients With Focal Seizures, With Optional Open-Label Extension (Misra et al) Session: P8: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG): Anti-seizure Medications: Clinical Trials Date/Time: Tuesday, April 8, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. PT Abstract Number: 1406 Title: Early Response Rates With Adjunctive Cenobamate in Uncontrolled Focal Seizures: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study in a Multinational Asian Population (Pradhan et al) Session: P8: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG): Anti-seizure Medications: Clinical Trials Date/Time: Tuesday, April 8, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. PT Abstract Number: 1404 Title: Efficacy of Adjunctive Cenobamate by Focal Seizure Subtypes: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study in a Multinational Asian Population (Ferrari et al) Session: P8: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG): Anti-seizure Medications: Clinical Trials Date/Time: Tuesday, April 8, from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. PT Abstract Number: 1408 Title: Clarification of the Mechanism of Action of Cenobamate (Sankar et al) Session: P9: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG): Anti-seizure Medications: Mechanisms and Pharmacology Date/Time: Tuesday, April 8, from 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. PT Abstract Number: 1381 Title: Wide Range of Cenobamate Doses Associated With Initial Seizure Freedom in Patients With Uncontrolled Focal Seizures: Post-hoc Analysis of a Phase 3, Multicenter, Open-Label Study (Rosenfeld et al) Session: P12: Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology (EEG): Retrospective Studies, Reviews, and Meta-analyses in Epilepsy Date/Time: Wednesday, April 9, from 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. PT Abstract Number: 158 A complete list of SK Life Science abstracts presented at AAN 2025 can be found here. In addition to these scientific presentations, SK Life Science, Inc. will host a booth (#223) in the Exhibit Hall, open from 11:30 a.m. PT on Sunday, April 6, 2025, until 4 p.m. PT on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. Attendees are encouraged to visit the booth to learn more about SK Life Science's commitment to epilepsy research and patient care. About SK Life Science, Inc. and SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. SK Life Science, Inc., with headquarters in Paramus, New Jersey, is a U.S. subsidiary of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., a pioneering South Korean company in drug development and commercialization. Together, they are advancing innovative treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and oncology, with eight compounds currently in development. Utilizing target-based drug discovery, high-throughput organic screening/high content screening, computer-aided drug design, and combinatorial chemistry, the companies drive R&D efforts in biology/discovery, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical development. For more information, visit . SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. is part of SK Group, South Korea's second-largest conglomerate. SK Group is a collection of global industry-leading companies driving innovations in energy, advanced materials, biopharmaceuticals and digital business. Based in Seoul, SK invests in building sustainable businesses around the world with a shared commitment to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. SK companies combined have $151 billion in global annual revenue and employ more than 100,000 people worldwide. SK Group is one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies of 2023. SK Inc., the parent company of SK Biopharmaceuticals, continues to enhance its portfolio value by executing long-term investments with a number of competitive subsidiaries in various business areas, including pharmaceuticals and life science, energy and chemicals, information and telecommunication, and semiconductors. In addition, SK Inc. is focused on reinforcing its growth foundations through profitable and practical management based on financial stability, while raising its enterprise value by investing in new future growth businesses. For more information about SK Inc., visit . For more information about SK Biopharmaceuticals, visit . About XCOPRI® (cenobamate tablets) CV Cenobamate is an antiseizure medication (ASM) discovered and developed by SK Biopharmaceuticals and SK Life Science. Cenobamate reduces neuronal excitability through a unique dual mechanism of action, preferentially inhibiting the persistent sodium current and enhancing GABAergic inhibition at the type A γ-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) ion channel. The precise mechanism by which cenobamate exerts its therapeutic effect is unknown. Cenobamate is marketed under the brand name XCOPRI® in the U.S. by SK Life Science, Inc. Additionally, XCOPRI is commercialized in Canada and Israel by SK Biopharmaceuticals' partners, Paladin Labs Inc. and Dexcel Ltd. Cenobamate is marketed as ONTOZRY® by Angelini Pharma S.p.A. in Europe, the UK, and Switzerland. Cenobamate is also being developed for commercialization by SK Biopharmaceuticals' partners in many other countries to meet the needs of patients living with epilepsy, including Dong-A ST Co., Ltd., Eurofarma Laboratórios S.A., Hikma MENA FZE, Ignis Therapeutics, Inc. and ONO Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATION FOR XCOPRI® (cenobamate tablets) CV DO NOT TAKE XCOPRI IF YOU: Are allergic to cenobamate or any of the other ingredients in XCOPRI. Have a genetic problem (called Familial Short QT syndrome) that affects the electrical system of the heart. XCOPRI CAN CAUSE SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, INCLUDING: Allergic reactions: XCOPRI can cause serious skin rash or other serious allergic reactions which may affect organs and other parts of your body like the liver or blood cells. You may or may not have a rash with these types of reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away and go to the nearest emergency room if you have any of the following: swelling of your face, eyes, lips, or tongue, trouble swallowing or breathing, a skin rash, hives, fever, swollen glands, or sore throat that does not go away or comes and goes, painful sores in the mouth or around your eyes, yellowing of your skin or eyes, unusual bruising or bleeding, severe fatigue or weakness, severe muscle pain, frequent infections, or infections that do not go away. Take XCOPRI exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. It is very important to increase your dose of XCOPRI slowly, as instructed by your healthcare provider. QT shortening: XCOPRI may cause problems with the electrical system of the heart (QT shortening). Call your healthcare provider if you have symptoms of QT shortening including fast heartbeat (heart palpitations) that last a long time or fainting. Suicidal behavior and ideation: Antiepileptic drugs, including XCOPRI, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your health care provider right away if you have any of the following symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying; attempting to commit suicide; new or worse depression, anxiety, or irritability; feeling agitated or restless; panic attacks; trouble sleeping (insomnia); acting aggressive; being angry or violent; acting on dangerous impulses; an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania); or other unusual changes in behavior or mood. Nervous system problems: XCOPRI may cause problems that affect your nervous system. Symptoms of nervous system problems include: dizziness, trouble walking or with coordination, feeling sleepy and tired, trouble concentrating, remembering, and thinking clearly, and vision problems. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how XCOPRI affects you. Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines that can make you sleepy or dizzy while taking XCOPRI without first talking to your healthcare provider. DISCONTINUATION: Do not stop taking XCOPRI without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping XCOPRI suddenly can cause serious problems. Stopping seizure medicine suddenly in a patient who has epilepsy can cause seizures that will not stop (status epilepticus). DRUG INTERACTIONS: XCOPRI may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how XCOPRI works. Do not start or stop other medicines without talking to your healthcare provider. Tell healthcare providers about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbal supplements. PREGNANCY AND LACTATION: XCOPRI may cause your birth control medicine to be less effective. Talk to your health care provider about the best birth control method to use. Talk to your health care provider if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if XCOPRI will harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking XCOPRI. You and your healthcare provider will decide if you should take XCOPRI while you are pregnant. If you become pregnant while taking XCOPRI, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic medicine during pregnancy. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888233-2334 or go to . Talk to your health care provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if XCOPRI passes into breastmilk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while taking XCOPRI. COMMON SIDE EFFECTS: The most common side effects in patients taking XCOPRI include dizziness, sleepiness, headache, double vision, and feeling tired. These are not all the possible side effects of XCOPRI. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or at . DRUG ABUSE: XCOPRI is a federally controlled substance (CV) because it can be abused or lead to dependence. Keep XCOPRI in a safe place to prevent misuse and abuse. Selling or giving away XCOPRI may harm others and is against the law. INDICATION: XCOPRI is a prescription medicine used to treat partial-onset seizures in adults 18 years of age and older. It is not known if XCOPRI is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age. Please see additional patient information in the Medication Guide. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your condition or your treatment. Please see full Prescribing Information. About Epilepsy Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder. There are approximately 3.4 million people living with epilepsy in the United States, with 150,000 new cases each year in the country.1,2 Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but often the cause is completely unknown. Having seizures and epilepsy can affect one's safety, relationships, work, driving, and much more.3,4 People with epilepsy are at risk for accidents and other health complications, including falling, drowning, depression and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP).3,4 Despite the availability of many antiepileptic therapies, almost 40 percent of people with epilepsy are not able to achieve seizure freedom, meaning they have epilepsy that remains uncontrolled.5 XCOPRI® and ONTOZRY® are registered trademarks of SK Biopharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. References Cleveland Clinic. Epilepsy. . Accessed April 2025. Epilepsy Foundation. Facts & Statistics About Epilepsy. . Accessed April 2025. Epilepsy Foundation. Staying Safe. . Accessed April 2025. Epilepsy Foundation. Complications and Risks. . Accessed April 2025. Chen Z, Brodie MJ, Liew D, Kwan P. Treatment outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy treated with established and new antiepileptic drugs: a 30-year longitudinal cohort study. . Published online December 26, 2017. SOURCE SK Life Science, Inc. WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

THURSDAY, Dec. 19, 2024 -- After years of decline, U.S. life expectancy is finally on the rise again for the first time since 2019, new government research shows. This turnaround was driven in part by a decline in drug overdose deaths, which had risen dramatically as a result of the opioid epidemic, according to a second report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That includes the first reduction in OD deaths caused by powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl and tramadol, researchers said. “The age-adjusted rate for drug overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids other than methadone decreased from 2022 to 2023, the first such decrease since the large increases that began in 2013,” concluded the research team led by Matthew Garnett , an injury epidemiologist and statistician with the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). “The rate also decreased for deaths involving natural and semisynthetic opioids and heroin between 2022 and 2023,” the team added. Life expectancy at birth in 2023 was 78.4 years for the total population, an increase of 0.9 years from 77.5 in 2022, CDC researchers reported. For men, life expectancy increased 1 year, from 74.8 in 2022 to 75.8 in 2023. Meanwhile, women saw a 0.9-year increase, from 80.2 in 2022 to 81.1 in 2023. “From 2022 to 2023, age-adjusted death rates decreased for 9 of the 10 leading causes of death,” wrote the life expectancy research team led by Elizabeth Arias , a health scientist with the NCHS. Deaths due to heart disease, accidental injury, stroke, respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, kidney disease, liver disease and COVID-19 all fell significantly between 2022 and 2023, researchers found. The rate of cancer deaths also went down, but not significantly, the report says. The end of the pandemic likely contributed to the increase in life expectancy, researchers said. “The most notable change was for COVID-19, which dropped from the 4th leading cause in 2022 to the 10th leading cause in 2023,” the researchers wrote. Overall, COVID deaths decreased more than 73% between 2022 and 2023, falling from 44.5 deaths to 11.9 deaths per 100,000, researchers said. A decrease in drug OD deaths also contributed to improved life expectancy. The rate of drug overdose deaths fell from 32.6 per 100,000 in 2022 to 31.3 per 100,000 in 2023, researchers said. Drug OD deaths are considered accidental injury deaths. These results jibe with statistics released last week by the CDC, which reported that drug OD deaths had decreased 17% between July 2023 and July 2024. However, the OD death rate is still 3.5 times what it was in 2003, when 8.9 people for every 100,000 died by drug overdose. Drug OD deaths related to synthetic opioids declined by 2.2% between 2022 and 2023, results show -- the first significant decline in OD deaths related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl since 2003, researchers added. Drug overdose deaths related to natural opioids like morphine, oxycodone and hydrocodone also declined 17.1%, between 2022 and 2023, and OD deaths caused by heroin decreased 33.3%. However, OD death rates for cocaine increased by 4.9% between 2022 and 2023, and OD deaths from stimulants like methamphetamine increased by 1.9%, researchers said. Lastly, infants did not seem to benefit from the declining death rates, researchers found. “The infant mortality rate of 560.2 infant deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023 was not significantly different from the rate in 2022,” the researchers wrote. The ten leading causes of infant death in 2023 -- birth defects, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, unintentional injuries, maternal complications, bacterial sepsis of newborn, cord and placental complications, respiratory distress of newborn, intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia, and diseases of the circulatory system -- accounted for more than 65% of all infant deaths, researchers concluded. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

THURSDAY, Dec. 12, 2024 -- Despite decades of campaigns highlighting the "baby on back" recommendation for safe infant sleep, 12% of 4-month-old babies in the United States are still put to bed lying on their sides or tummies, a new report finds. That number rises to 19% among infants aged 9 months and 23% among 1-year-olds. Putting an infant to bed in a "non-supine" position raises the risk of breathing difficulties and even sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), said a team led by Dr. Yongjun Zhang , of Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai. The research was published Dec. 12 in the journal JAMA Network Open . Per recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), parents should "place infants on their backs for sleep in their own sleep space with no other people." Cribs and bassinets should also be free of blankets, pillows and plush toys to avoid suffocation, and have only a "firm, flat mattress and a fitted sheet," the AAP says. All of this helps lower the odds for SIDS. However, as the study authors pointed out, "approximately 3,500 sleep-related deaths among infants are reported annually in the U.S.," with 90% of those tragedies occurring among babies less than 6 months old. Placing babies on their backs as they go to sleep is key to keeping airways open and cutting SIDS risk. Have efforts to educate parents about this simple step worked? To find out, Zhang's group looked at data for 2016 through 2022 from the ongoing U.S. National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH). As part of the survey, the parents of almost 9,400 infants were asked "In which position do you most often lay this baby down to sleep now?" Parents could reply "on side," "on back" or "on stomach." For infants ages 4, 6, 9 and 12 months of age, an average of 12%, 12.9%, 19.2% and 23% of parents answered either "on side" or "on stomach" -- two positions known to raise SIDS risk. These percentages didn't change much over the seven years covered by the study, suggesting that the success of getting the "baby on back" message out to new parents has stalled. Outreach to particular groups also seems warranted, the study authors noted. For example, among parents of babies aged 4 months, rates of non-supine infant sleep in 2022 were much higher among Black or Hispanic babies (23.2% and 21.6%, respectively) than white infants (7.1%), the report found. Income mattered, too: Nearly a quarter (24.5%) of 4-month-olds born into families in lowest income bracket were put to bed in non-supine positions, Zhang's team found, compared to just 6.7% of infants from the most affluent homes. Similar trends were found when it came to parental education, with rates of non-supine infant sleep much higher among parents with less than a college degree. Finally, the younger the mother, the more likely it was that a baby would be put to sleep on their side or tummy. In 2022, this happened for 15.5% of 6-month-olds born to moms under the age of 30, compared to 11.9% of babies born to women over 30, the study found. All of these numbers mean that efforts must be redoubled to reach parents who haven't gotten the potentially lifesaving "baby on back" message. "Evidence-based interventions that promote safe sleep practices, particularly among younger age groups where SIDS is more prevalent, could help reduce sleep-related infant mortality [death]," Zhang and colleagues concluded. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.