Looking Ahead to AES 2009: New Insights on Comorbidities and other Considerations for Epilepsy Treatment

Raritan, NJ. Depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), sleep disorder and migraine: These are among the comorbidities reported to occur more often in people who said they had been diagnosed with epilepsy versus those without an epilepsy diagnosis, according to a survey of approximately 173,000 households across the U.S.

Findings from “CNS-Related Comorbidities in Individuals with Self-Reported Epilepsy – Data from the National Survey of Epilepsy, Comorbidities and Health Outcomes” will be detailed in a platform presentation on Dec. 7 at the 2009 American Epilepsy Society (AES) Annual Meeting in Boston. The analysis explores the importance of identifying these Central Nervous System (CNS)-related comorbid conditions, and their potential impact on the clinical management of epilepsy.

The survey results are one of eight presentations supported by Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OMJPI) at the AES Meeting.

Saturday, Dec. 5: 1-8 p.m. (author presentations 2-3 p.m.)

* Poster 1.136: “Tolerability of Carisbamate as Adjunctive Treatment of Partial Onset Seizures in Adults in Three Double-blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled Studies”; M.R. Sperling, E. Faught, J. Schmitt, F. Wiegand, G. Novak
* Poster 1.134: “Carisbamate as Adjunctive Treatment of Partial Onset Seizures in Adults: Results at 18 Months From an Ongoing Open-label Extension of a Double-blind, Randomized, Dose-ranging Study”; S. Lippmann, W. Rosenfeld, F. Wiegand, J. Schmitt, G. Novak
* Poster 1.329: “Improving Neurologist-Patient Communication to Promote More Effective Assessment of Side Effects and Comorbidities in Epilepsy: Results of a Phase II Communication Study”; J.M. Stern, D. Labiner, F. Gilliam, P. Penovich, M. Onofrey, C. Eagan, E. Mathis, G.L. Holmes
* Poster 1.127: “An Open-label Extension of Two Placebo-controlled Studies of Carisbamate as Adjunctive Treatment of Partial Onset Seizures in Adults: 18-month Update”; J. Halford, R. Kälviäinen, E. Ben-Menachem, J. Schmitt, F. Wiegand, G. Novak
* Poster 1.121: “Factors Associated with Time to Discontinuation of Antiepileptic Drug (AED) Treatment In a Commercially-insured Population of Patients with Epilepsy Receiving 2 or 3 AEDs” ; J.B. Forlenza, S.S. Johnston, E. Durden, G. Lenhart, S. Ascher, D.M. Biondi, L.A. Costa, G.J. Wan
* Poster 1.204: “A Drug-Drug Interaction Study of Carisbamate and the Oral Contraceptive, Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo ®, in Healthy Women”; K. Moore, P. Zannikos, B. Solanki, A. Dibernardo, G. Romano, H.R. Brashear



Sunday, Dec. 6: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. (author presentations 4-5 p.m.)

* Poster 2.145: “Health Status Burden in Individuals with Self-Reported Epilepsy from the National Survey of Epilepsy, Comorbidities and Health Outcomes”; J. Cramer, R. Ottman, R.B. Lipton, A.B. Ettinger, M. Yang, M.L. Reed, G.J. Wan

Monday, Dec. 7: Platform Presentations 4-6:15 p.m.

* Presentation C:05: “CNS-Related Comorbidities in Individuals with Self-Reported Epilepsy from the National Survey of Epilepsy, Comorbidities and Health Outcomes” ; R. Ottman, R.B. Lipton, A.B. Ettinger, J.A. Cramer, M.L. Reed, G.J. Wan


About Epilepsy
Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the nervous system, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide. As many as 200,000 Americans are diagnosed for the first time each year. Epilepsy produces seizures, which happen when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. The condition can develop at any time in life, but there is a particular susceptibility in young children and the elderly. Currently, there is no cure for epilepsy; however, medications help control seizure activity in the majority of people with this condition. It is important for people with epilepsy to be proactive in working with their healthcare professionals to determine the most effective treatment plan.