Aussie researchers deliver promising trial in world-first epilepsy treatment

A world-first treatment in which anti-epilepsy drugs are injected directly into the brain to ease seizures has been successfully trialed in Melbourne.

Doctors from St Vincent's Hospital successfully implanted a revolutionary pump into a patient's abdomen which allows medication to be injected directly into the brain, bypassing the need for tablets which carry unwanted side effects.

Professor Mark Cook, head of neurology at St Vincent's, said the results of the treatment were extremely promising in the trial patient.

"(The woman) had the pump put in nearly two weeks ago and we put medication in it only a week ago but so far things are going very well," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Thursday.

"At the moment (her seizures) have reduced very dramatically.

"We do need to wait and check we're getting the right doses and it's not affecting her in any other way but so far we're really pleased with the results."

According to Cook, the benefit in using a pump compared to tablets was that medication can be delivered directly to the brain, making the treatment process much faster.

"We have the opportunity perhaps to give better doses than we do currently and also to avoid the side effects that come about because you have to swallow it and the whole body has to take a dose of the medication," Cook said.

He added that the world-first pump could one day be used to treat any number of other conditions, pending approval for use in other trials.

"This is a very early phase trial, so in the years ahead we'll determine what drugs are the most effective ones to give in this way," he said.

"It may be that some drugs that previously could not be used because they could not be absorbed by the body can now be used in this way." Endit