Losigamone. Dr Willmar Schwabe
Willmore, L.J.
Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs 2(12): 1763-1766
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 1472-4472 PMID: 11892943 Document Number: 532108
Losigamone is a potential antiepileptic under development by Schwabe, which is currently in phase III clinical trials. By August 2000, Schwabe was seeking suitable partners to collaborate in the completion of the phase III trials and further development. The exact mode of action of losigamone is unclear but it does not involve specific binding of GABA, flunitrazepam or t-butyl-bicyclophosphorothionate (TBPS) to their receptors. Data concerning the interaction of losigamone with GABA-A receptor channels, however, are inconsistent; it does not significantly modify the GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) in hippocampal slices, although it potentiates GABA-induced chloride influx in primary spinal cord neuron cultures. Another suggested possible mechanism of action for losigamone is K+ channel activation.