Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance salutes FDA approval of Afinitor® DISPERZ (everolimus) as the first adjunctive treatment approved in US for patients aged 2 years and older with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated partial-onset seizures

SILVER SPRING, Md., April 10, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (TS Alliance) is pleased to share that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug Afinitor, manufactured by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, to treat partial-onset seizures in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).  TSC is a rare genetic disease that causes tumors to form in vital organs; it's also the leading genetic cause of both epilepsy and autism. 

"In TSC, 85 percent of individuals have seizures at some point in their lifetime.  But very importantly and urgently, more than 60% experience intractable epilepsy, and this new indication for Afinitor means they now have a much-needed new treatment option," said TS Alliance President & CEO Kari Luther Rosbeck.  "Afinitor is the first mTOR inhibitor approved in the United States for the treatment of epilepsy and further demonstrates TSC as a model system for developing new therapies." 

Afinitor (everolimus) was previously approved by the FDA for the treatment of adult and pediatric patients aged 1 year and older with TSC who have subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA) and adults with renal angiomyolipomas.

"The TS Alliance played an important role in educating the TSC community about the EXIST-3 Phase III clinical trial of Afinitor, helping raise awareness of the opportunity to participate in the study.  The success of this clinical trial ultimately led to this approved indication," shared Steven L. Roberds, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of the TS Alliance. "The TS Alliance-sponsored Patient Focused Drug Development meeting in June 2017 provided the opportunity for adults and parents of children with TSC to speak directly to the FDA about the unmet medical needs of TSC and how the TSC community weighed the risk and benefit of mTOR inhibitors to reduce the burden of refractory epilepsy in TSC."

"The TS Alliance certainly appreciates the FDA's attention to the needs of the TSC community," added Rosbeck. "We are also grateful to Novartis along with the study's clinicians and researchers as well as those who volunteered to take part in the clinical trial."

The Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance is the only non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to finding a cure for TSC, while improving the lives of those affected.  For more information, visit www.tsalliance.org.

MEDIA CONTACT
Jaye Isham, 301.562.9890, [email protected]

SOURCE Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance

Related Links

http://www.tsalliance.org