Potential Role of BHV-7000 Among Antiseizure Medications: Irfan Qureshi, MD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"With BHV-7000, the great safety and tolerability data that we showed in phase 1 will make it preferred as a combination with other medicines because most of those other medicines do have those burdensome CNS side effects. We think that this phase one safety tolerability profile will translate into a similar phase 2, 3 safety tolerability profile."

The antiseizure medication (ASM) toolbox is packed with dozens of effective therapies, each with different mechanisms of action, that help suppress and control patients’ seizures. Broad-spectrum ASMs are designed to treat a wide variety of seizure types whereas narrow-spectrum ASMs mainly treat focal or partial seizures. In recent years, the field has dedicated efforts to increase the options available to patients, in hope that certain approaches may help those who are drug-resistant.

At the 2023 American Epilepsy Society (AES) annual meeting, held December 1-5, in Orlando, Florida, Biohaven presented several posters related to BHV-7000, an investigational selective Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channel activator. In a phase 1 study, the agent was safe and well-tolerated at single doses up to 100 mg and multiple doses up to 120 mg daily without dose-limiting adverse events (AEs). Using the same such study, investigators assessed the pharmacodynamic effects of BHV-7000 on EEG spectral power.

In the quantitative spectral analysis, Fast Fourier Transformation was applied to extract the spectrum in epochs of 3 seconds. From these, the peak frequency, power at peak, and the correspondeing topography in the canonical frequency bands (delta [1-3.5 Hz], theta [3.5-7.5 Hz], alpha [7.5-13 Hz], beta [13-30 Hz], and gamma [30-100 Hz]) were delivered. All told, dose-dependent increases in spectral power were observed with BHV-7000, further supporting the agent’s potential to deliver anti-seizure efficacy without dose-limiting AEs.

Throughout the meeting, NeurologyLive® sat down with Irfan Qureshi, MD, chief medical officer at Biohaven, to discuss the reasons for using spectral power to assess efficacy in such early stages. In addition, Qureshi commented on the safety profile of BHV-7000 and why he believes it will work well in combination with other approved ASMs.

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REFERENCE
1. Lerner J, Awsare B, Sevinsky H, et al. Novel, selective Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channel activator, BHV-7000, demonstrates dose-dependent pharmacodynamic effects on EEG parameters in healthy adults. Presented at: 2023 AES Annual Meeting; December 1-5; Orlando, FL. Poster 2.510.