Navigating regulatory challenges in pediatric epilepsy pharmacotherapy: pathways to safe and effective treatments.

Abstract

Introduction: Drug development for epilepsy, the most frequent chronic neurologic childhood condition, faces fundamental challenges. One of these is the concept of children as 'therapeutic orphans' and the resulting pediatric requirements of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Developing new antiseizure medications (ASMs) is expensive. Public coffers and reimbursement institutions are increasingly struggling with fundings. Commercial drug developers are progressively skeptical about the risks of developing new ASMs, which makes a critical review of pediatric requirements even more important.

Areas covered: This narrative review traces the roots of pediatric drug development in epilepsy and analyses the current FDA and EMA regulatory frameworks and incentives that shape ASMs approval for children. PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched for publications using combinations of terms related to 'pediatric epilepsy,' 'antiseizure medications,' 'regulatory frameworks' and 'pediatric drug development.' Official FDA, EMA websites and documents were also screened.

Expert opinion: A more focused and science-driven approach, less influenced by nonscientific factors and emerging conflicts of interest, could help accelerate the development of innovative treatments for epilepsy. Optimizing incentives to align research with true pediatric needs, especially those targeting childhood-specific syndromes and age-appropriate pharmacology, is essential.