FDA approves Eisai’s drug to treat epileptic seizures

(Reuters) – U.S. health regulators approved Japanese drugmaker Eisai Co Ltd’s Fycompa tablets to treat partial seizures in epileptic patients, saying current treatments on the market were unsatisfactory in controlling seizures in some patients. Eisai’s drug, chemically known as perampanel, works by blocking the action of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which may cause excessive electrical activity in the brain, resulting in seizures. “It is important to have a variety of treatment options available for patients with epilepsy,” said Russell Katz, an official at the U.S. …