Trending News Today: Investigational Drug for Dravet Syndrome Succeeds in Late-Stage Trial

A potential new treatment for a severe and rare form of epilepsy has met all of its secondary endpoints in its second late-stage study, Reuters reported. According to the article, Zogenix’s drug, which is being investigated for the treatment of Dravet syndrome, reduced convulsive seizures associated with the disease in the trial. Zogenix will focus on submitting applications for marketing approvals in the United States and Europe in the fourth quarter of 2018, the article reported.

A new study has found that survivors of the Ebola virus can continue to experience severe psychiatric and neurological problems, Reuters reported. According to the article, the study examined patient notes from more than 300 Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone and then selected 34 patients to attend a joint neuro-psychiatric clinic in 2016, in which they underwent a full neurological examination, psychiatric screening, and specialist investigation, including brain scan imaging. Neurological problems included stroke, debilitating migraine-type headaches, and nerve pain, whereas the most frequent psychiatric diagnoses among the survivors studied were depression and anxiety, the article reported.

New research indicates that high blood pressure late in life may harm the brain, the Associated Press reported. According to the article, autopsies performed on 1300 individuals found more signs of damage and showed a hallmark of Alzheimer disease in those with higher blood pressure compared with those with normal blood pressure. Although the study cannot prove cause and effect, the researchers noted that the findings challenge the notion that high blood pressure is not as harmful in old age, the article reported.