A potential new treatment for children living with Dravet syndrome has shown encouraging results, with researchers reporting seizure reductions of up to 91%. Dravet syndrome is a rare genetic form of epilepsy that causes severe and frequent seizures, along with developmental difficulties that can affect behaviour, learning and overall quality of life.

The treatment, known as zorevunersen, targets the underlying genetic cause of the condition. Dravet syndrome is often linked to a fault in the SCN1A gene, which normally produces a protein vital for healthy nerve cell function. When this gene does not work properly, nerve signalling in the brain can become disrupted, leading to the severe seizures seen in patients.

In a clinical study involving 81 children in the UK and the United States, the medication was administered through a lumbar puncture. Participants initially experienced an average of 17 seizures each month before treatment began. After receiving doses of the drug, many patients experienced significant reductions in seizure frequency over an extended follow-up period, with some showing reductions of between 59% and 91%.

Researchers also reported improvements in quality of life and noted that most side effects observed during the trial were mild. Experts say the drug could potentially alter the progression of the disease rather than simply managing symptoms. Further investigation is now underway in larger phase three trials to determine whether the treatment could become widely available for children affected by this rare and severe condition.