Jannuzzi G, Cian P, Fattore C, Gatti G, Bartoli A, Monaco F, Perucca E A multicenter randomized controlled trial on the clinical impact of therapeutic drug monitoring in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy. The Italian TDM Study Group in Epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2000 Feb;41(2):222-30.
Johnson EK, Jones JE, Seidenberg M, Hermann BP The relative impact of anxiety, depression, and clinical seizure features on health-related quality of life in epilepsy. Epilepsia. 2004 May;45(5):544-50.
Kwan P, Brodie MJ Early identification of refractory epilepsy. N Engl J Med. 2000 Feb 3;342(5):314-9.
Perucca E An introduction to antiepileptic drugs. Epilepsia. 2005;46 Suppl 4:31-7. Review.
Perucca E Marketed new antiepileptic drugs: are they better than old-generation agents? Ther Drug Monit. 2002 Feb;24(1):74-80. Review.
A Prospective Study on Long-term Outcome and Potential Usefulness fo an Intervention Aimed at Reducing Adverse Effects in Patients With Refractory Epilepsy
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
