Epilepsy therapy: anticonvulsants, lessons learned and unmet medical needs

Abstract

Interview by Rona Williamson, Commissioning Editor

Henrik Klitgaard, PhD, is currently Vice-President, UCB Fellow, Neurosciences Therapeutic Area and is based in Braine-l’Alleud, Belgium. He received a PhD in Human Physiology in 1989 at the August Krogh Institute at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). During his university career, Klitgaard worked at the Pasteur Institute in Paris (France) and at Harvard University (MA, USA). Klitgaard is a leading figure in the epilepsy research community, thanks to more than 80 peer-reviewed papers and 15 reviews and book chapters, as well as frequent lectures at top neuroscience and epilepsy science meetings. His memberships and accolades include a position on the US National Institute of Health’s epilepsy advisory committee, membership of the Neurobiology Committees of both the International League Against Epilepsy and American Epilepsy Society and a seat on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the patient organization C.U.R.E. (Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy). For more than two decades, Klitgaard has conducted antiepileptic drug discovery in the pharmaceutical industry. He has contributed numerous publications on basic and applied aspects of epilepsy research and has frequently been an invited speaker at epilepsy congresses and meetings. During his career in the pharmaceutical industry, Klitgaard has been involved in the discovery and development of antiepileptic drugs at both Novo Nordisk A/S and UCB Pharma. He is also currently involved in the development of two clinical and several preclinical AED candidates.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.