New compound offers hope for safer epilepsy treatment

New compound offers hope for safer epilepsy treatment

Scientists from Southern Federal University (SFU) and Volgograd State Medical University (VolgSMU) have developed a new benzimidazole-based compound that shows promise as an effective and safer treatment for epilepsy.

According to SFU’s press service, laboratory tests demonstrated that the substance not only reduces the frequency of seizures but also offers neuroprotective effects, shielding neurons from damage.

Unlike many existing antiepileptic drugs, the new molecule does not cause severe side effects or lead to health deterioration after discontinuation. To evaluate its effectiveness, researchers induced controlled epileptic seizures in laboratory animals using electrodes, simulating conditions similar to severe epilepsy in humans.

In related research, scientists from Kazan Federal University’s Butlerov Chemical Institute recently announced a method for producing a metastable crystalline form of phenylbutazone. The new form is economically advantageous and does not require royalty payments, offering potential benefits for pharmaceutical manufacturing.