FDA Grants Breakthrough Designation for RightEye Vision System, Results from ESETT Trial Released, Conference Coverage of the 73rd Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society

This week's Neurology News Network covered the FDA breakthrough device designation to the RightEye Vision System, a trial regarding 3 potential drugs for the treatment of status epilepticus, and the coverage of the 73rd annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES).

Marco: Welcome to Neurology News Network. I’m Marco Meglio. Let’s get into the news from this week.

The FDA has granted a breakthrough device designation to the RightEye Vision System, an investigational eye-tracking technology that is being assessed as a test to diagnose Parkinson disease. In 2018, the FDA granted clearance to the system for the recording, viewing, and analyzing of eye movements in support of identifying visual tracking impairment in patients. RightEye, its developer, noted in its announcement that this system is the first and only such designation for a device that uses objective eye movement measurements to aid in the assessment of Parkinson. By using the current methods of diagnosing Parkinson, physicians remain challenged by inaccuracy, making misdiagnosis an ongoing issue.

Results from the Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT) show that levetiracetam, fosphenytoin, and valproate are equally effective for stopping seizures and improving responsiveness in patients with benzodiazepine-refractory status epilepticus. Benzodiazepines are considered the first line of treatment for patients with SE; however up to a third of patients have seizures that do not respond to treatment. Notably, among the 3 drugs studied in the ESETT trial, only fosphenytoin is indicated by the FDA for treatment of SE in adults. Although the 3 drugs proved effective in just under half of the patients studied, investigators will continue to explore other treatments for the patients whose seizures did not respond to the studied drugs.

The 73^rd annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society kicks off this weekend as thousands of epilepsy healthcare providers gather in Baltimore, Maryland. The 5-day meeting will take place at the Baltimore Convention Center, and feature numerous sessions designed to appeal to multidisciplinary epilepsy professionals, including various symposia, special sessions, investigators workshops, special interest groups, poster sessions, and professional development. For live updates from AES 2019, be sure to check out NeurologyLive.com and follow us on twitter @Neurology_Live.

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