News Feature | July 15, 2014

The Epilepsy Foundation Enters Partnership With Pfizer And Intellimedix

By Estel Grace Masangkay

The Epilepsy Foundation announced that it has entered into a personalized drug discovery partnership with Pfizer and Intellimedix to find answers for those suffering from genetic forms of epilepsy. The collaboration platform may also benefit people with Dravet's Syndrome and other types of epilepsy currently faced with limited options for treatment.

Philip M. Gattone, President and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation, said, "This collaboration has the potential to benefit all individuals and families living with epilepsy, especially the one-third of people with epilepsy who live with uncontrolled seizures despite all currently available therapie. With this drug discovery platform and our new collaboration, the Foundation furthers its mission to unify the epilepsy community and embrace innovation in new therapies." The non-profit Foundation has been addressing issues in epilepsy since 1968 and recently launched an initiative known as the “Shark Tank” prize in order to reward $100,000 to the most innovative product ideas designed to help people with seizures.

Epilepsy affects between 2.2 and 3 million patients in  the U.S. alone. Dravet Syndrome is a severe form of epilepsy which has no available treatments. Both diseases are characterized by recurrent seizures.

Daniel Fischer, President and CEO of Intellimedix, said, "We are thrilled by this collaboration that aims to develop and apply novel drug screening technologies to deliver personalized therapies to patients with epilepsy. We will strive to significantly improve the lives of patients with Dravet Syndrome in the very short term." Like the Epilepsy foundation, Intellimedix has been working to bring new solutions to patients with epilepsy. The company recently announced the opening and launch of its new research laboratory facility in Massachusetts which will focus on patient-driven innovation in epilepsy and othr neurological disorders.

Ruth McKernan, Head of Neusentis, Pfizer's research unit for pain and sensory disorders, said that the company believes the future lies in personalized treatment for individual patients' needs. Pfizer had a recent victory in its fight to protect Lyrica, its epilepsy drug that has become increasingly important to the pharma giant's profits. With a court ruling favorable to Pfizer over its generic drugmaker rivals such as Teva and Actavis, the company secured patent rights for Lyrica up to 2018. Lyrica performed well in a comparative trial with levetiracetam conducted last year.