Experimental drug stops frequent seizures in infant with rare epilepsy

Medical staff at King’s College Hospital London in Dubai treated an infant named Adnan with an experimental medication to stop frequent seizures.

Adnan suffered from an extremely rare form of genetic epilepsy that caused him to have a seizure roughly every 13 minutes from the first day of his life. Doctors used genome sequencing to identify a specific gene variant and selected the experimental oral medication ABS-1230 as a potential treatment.

The Dubai Health Authority granted a compassionate use pathway for the drug, which is not currently approved for commercial use. Adnan became the youngest patient in the world and only the second infant to receive ABS-1230. Professor Ubaid Shah led the medical team that administered the drug on September 14th. The treatment produced immediate results, and Adnan remained seizure-free throughout his stay in the hospital. He was discharged with his family one week after starting the medication.

As of November 2nd, the infant remains seizure-free and is beginning to reach early developmental milestones. Professor Shah noted that the treatment is still experimental and requires further research to ensure long-term safety and sustained results. The medical team continues to monitor the infant to assess his ongoing progress.