Sabril® (vigabatrin) for Infantile Spasms (IS)

Infant taking Sabril for his infantile spasms. Pictured with his mother.

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Sabril is a prescription medicine used in babies, 1 month to 2 years old, with infantile spasms (IS), if the possible benefits outweigh the possible risk of vision loss. For infants, Sabril comes in a powder form that you mix with water.

Sabril was the first therapy approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of IS.

Possible Benefits of Sabril for IS

The possible benefit of treatment with Sabril is reducing spasm frequency in infants with infantile spasms (IS). The effectiveness of Sabril as a treatment for IS was established in 2 clinical trials reviewed by the FDA.

Some infants taking Sabril were spasm free or had a reduction in daily spasm frequency.

About Infantile Spasms (IS)

Infantile spasms (also called IS or sometimes West syndrome) is a specific type of epilepsy syndrome that affects babies.1

Symptoms of Infantile Spasms

Infantile spasms usually begin when a baby is between 4 and 8 months old.1

There are 3 main features of IS used to aid in diagnosis:1-4

Spasms

A baby may suddenly bend forward; stiffen his or her body, arms, and legs; and arch his or her torso (bend backward).

Hypsarrhythmia (hyp'sar•rhyth'mia')

An abnormal pattern of electrical activity seen on an EEG between seizures that is associated with IS. It shows chaotic and random electrical behavior in the brain.

Delayed development

A baby may not develop as expected of his or her age.5 A baby’s development is complex and may be affected by certain causes, known or unknown.

Sabril therapy has not been proven to improve an infant’s development.

A baby does not need to have all 3 features to receive a diagnosis of IS.5 The term infantile spasms is used to describe both the type of epilepsy and the seizure.5 Most spasms last 1 to 2 seconds. They often happen in groups (or clusters) of a few to more than 100 spasms. A baby may have up to 60 clusters of spasms each day. They may happen when the baby is waking up, or when the baby is sleepy. At first, the spasms may be so small and slight that they are hard to notice.2,3,5

IN 3 OF 10
BABIES WITH INFANTILE
SPASMS (IS), THE CAUSE
IS UNKNOWN

Causes of Infantile Spasms

Sometimes the cause of IS is unknown (cryptogenic). In 3 of 10 babies with IS, the cause is unknown. About 7 of 10 babies have IS with a known cause (symptomatic).1

Some of the possible causes include:1,6

  • Tuberous sclerosis complex
  • Central nervous system infection
  • Genetic abnormalities other than tuberous sclerosis complex
  • Brain development abnormalities
  • Lack of oxygen at birth

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References

  1. 1. Shields WD. Infantile spasms: little seizures, big consequences. Epilepsy Curr. 2006;6(3):63-69.
  2. 2. Infantile spasms/West’s syndrome. Epilepsy Foundation website. http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/types-epilepsy-syndromes/infantile-spasms-wests-syndrome. Accessed February 16, 2017.
  3. 3. Infantile Spasms Information Page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. National Institutes of Health website. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Infantile-Spasms-Information-Page. Accessed February 16, 2017.
  4. 4. Shields WD. Diagnosis of infantile spasms, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and progressive myoclonic epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2004;45(Suppl 5):2-4.
  5. 5. Glauser TA, Morita DA. Infantile spasm (West syndrome). eMedicine website. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1176431-overview. Updated October 16, 2014. Accessed February 16, 2017.
  6. 6. Tuberous Sclerosis Information Page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. National Institutes of Health website. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/All-Disorders/Tuberous-Sclerosis-Information-Page. Accessed February 16, 2017.

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