Vigabatrin Recommended for FDA Approval!

This is really great news and a long time coming!!!

This week an expert committee unanimously recommended the FDA approve Vigabatrin for the treatment of Infantile Spasms and Complex Partial Seizures. This is a huge step forward, especially for children experiencing Infantile Spasms which can be a devastating seizure type that can significantly impede neurological development.

Children who have TSC have a higher chance of having Infantile Spasms, a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy that almost always starts before one year of age. The spasms typically last for one to five seconds and occur in clusters of up to 100 at a time and can cause severe developmental delay. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies and Vigabatrin has been proven effective in controlling infantile spasms in many cases, especially when the underlying cause is TSC. Early diagnosis and treatment is essential and can improve neurologic function.

Vigabatrin will now move toward full FDA approval, which may take four to eight months, but well worth the wait. Right now anyone prescribed Vigabatrin in the U.S. is getting the medication through Canada or Mexico and insurance doesn't cover it. I am so happy to think about the families who need this drug actually being able to get it without jumping through hoops and waiting days for it to arrive through customs.