FDA Approves Drug to Treat Spasms and Epileptic Seizures in Infants

When an infant or young child experiences a spasm, it causes their body to bend uncontrollably and their limbs to stiffen up, making daily life extremely difficult. Infantile spasms usually appear between 4 and 8 months of age and are often the result of birth injury, metabolic disorders or genetic disorders. Spasms can occur in multiples of up to 100, with some children experiencing dozens of these episodes each day, amounting to hundreds of spasms. Children with this disorder tend to experience spasms after waking up or eating.

Although the cause of a child’s spasms can often be associated with birth injury or some other disorder, the cause of many children’s spasms is never uncovered. Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved Sabril (vigabatrin) Oral Solution to treat these spasms and epileptic seizures in children 1 month to 2 years old.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, epilepsy is a “medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions.” The condition is also referred to as a seizure disorder, and may cause a person to act strangely or jerk violently. When someone has more than two seizures, they are usually considered to be epileptic.

In combination with other drugs, Sabril Tablets were previously approved to treat complex partial seizures in adults. The oral solution form of the drug is the first in the U.S. approved to treat these serious seizures in young children. Use of the drug does come with the risk of vision damage, so it is important that doctors prescribe only the necessary dose to children requiring Sabril and check their vision periodically.

If your child has suffered a birth injury that may have been preventable, call or e-mail the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. One of our experienced birth injury lawyers will evaluate your case free of charge. We have represented clients with Bronx birth injury, Brooklyn birth injury, Queens birth injury, Nassau birth injury and Suffolk birth injury.

Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net