Epilepsy Drug-Suicide Link Studied

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked 14 drug makers to check their data to see if epilepsy drugs trigger suicidal behavior or thought.
The companies have six months to respond to the FDA request, the USA Today reported Thursday.
The request is similar to one the FDA made in 2003 regarding antidepressants and suicidal behavior in children. That review resulted in a black box warning, the FDA's toughest, on the drugs' labels last year.
The current case is only the second review of that type, says Robert Temple of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
U.S. sales of anti-seizure drugs were the fifth-largest drug category last year, says research firm IMS Health, because they are also used for ailments other than epilepsy, like pain and migraines. Epilepsy affects an estimated 2.7 million Americans.

Source: United Press International